Light and Dark
by WriteAllTheStories
Summary: Phantomhive. The house of Darkness, the shadow which the Queen controlled. Midford. The guardians of Light, sworn to protect all with the good of their hearts, and the sharp end of their swords. What happens when the Phantomhive household become suspicious of the help within the house of Light? What happens when the Midford household learns the secrets of the house of Darkness?
1. Business

Like every other day, the gloomy gray clouds hung over England. Busy people crowded the streets in the morning. Men fetched ingredients for their wives, women browsed dress shops, and elders were out for their morning walks. Children ran down the main cobblestone street in small crowds, school would be starting soon. This neighborhood was one of the wealthier ones in the area. Mostly middle class resided in the area, all of the buildings had a quaint atmosphere. The homes were made of stone, large gardens often overflowed the white or wooden fences. Bees flew from flower to flower, a sweet aroma filled the air throughout the town.

A black carriage leisurely made its way down the cobblestone path. Townsfolk could hear muffled voices from inside the carriage as it came to a stop. The door burst open and a woman with red hair swung down onto the sidewalk. Two blonde males joined her, followed by a man and boy with black hair. The first three people awed at the area surrounding them, letting out giggles and exclamations of excitement.

"It's beautiful here, yes!"

The redheaded woman shouted as she danced around with the younger blonde boy. The boy grinned and touched his forehead to the woman's, both grinning they took in a deep breath and admired the scent of the flowers.

"A rose bush! Lavender!" The boy named all of the flowers and herbs he spotted in the nearby garden. This area inspired him to work even harder on his own plants.

"ATCH-!" The other boy hid his face into a piece of cloth.

"Are your allergies acting up from this area, young master?" The older blonde man asked. His voice was gruff, but his eyes held a muted look of excitement from the area around him.

The boy nodded and rubbed his temples. "Let's just get this meeting over with, Sebastian. The rest of you can browse the nearby shops for ingredients and whatnot. Don't you dare cause a disturbance, I do not wish to deal with anymore headaches today."

"As you wish, young master." The older black haired man responded, bowing and following the boy down the street into one of the taller buildings. Some people curiously watched the young boy and his servant enter the building. The boy looked no older than thirteen years old. He held his shoulders back, his face looked straight ahead, and he gave off the aura of authority. His skin was pale, and his nose was slightly red from his allergies. One eye was hidden by a black patch, the other was a dazzling royal blue that happened to match the ring on his right hand. There is no question he came from a family of power and authority. No one could have guessed that he was the head of his manor though. The man accompanying him was tall and slim looking. He gave off a similar feeling as the young boy, authoritative, but more approachable. His face was pale, but not sickly. It contrasted well with his raven black hair, and no one could avoid gazing into his wine-red eyes. Women young and old fawned from behind their fans, giggling to each other. The man, Sebastian, looked to his right at a woman who seemed to have whispered louder than she thought to her friend. Immediately her face flushed a deep red. He seemed to have no reaction, his eyes remained expressionless as he entered the building through the heavy wooden doors.

"Finny! Look at this! Do you think young master would like it?"

The blonde boy jogged over to the man and looked at the shelf. It was a black tea set with red roses on it. The spoons were in the shape of roses, and the handles on the cups looked like rose stems.

"I think he would really like it, either him or Sebastian. Good find Mey-Rin!" Finny smiled wide and checked the price tag. It was a lot more than he would personally have paid for it, but it fit the budget Sebastian gave them before they left the mansion. They could still buy a handful of other items, the budget seemed larger than the last few they were given.

"Look at this one!"

The redhead, Mey-Rin, pointed to the set next to it. It was white with flowers molded into the sides of the cups and pot, made out of clay and hand painted. There was a butterfly also molded onto the top of the kettle lid. It was very extravagant and detailed. The flowers were painted in pastels, mostly cool colors with some pink here and there.

Finnian also checked the label, with the two combined it would take up about half of their allowance, but he thought it would be worth it. The group took the two items up to the counter and purchased them. Then they wandered back out onto the busy streets. The smell of a nearby flower shop lured them to glass doors. The doors were French glass doors, with silver holding the glass panes together. There was a fairy and a butterfly made out of steel near the top of the doors. Opening the doors, the group walked inside to a room with an enchanted garden feel.

Flowers were arranged neatly on a table in vases. Lists of orders and customers were attached to each vase. There was a tangle of vines and wild flowers growing up decorative metal fences and over the entire eastern wall. Two females and one male were walking around the flowers, watering, tending, and weeding them.

One of the females was shorter with dark brown hair in long thin braids. Two of the braids at the sides were brought up against her forehead and wrapped around the back of her head to create a crown. Small violet wildflowers were entwined with each braid, flowing out from the crown braid. Her eyes were a lighter brown, almost caramel looking. She was wearing an ankle length medium brown skirt, with a lighter brown flowy blouse. A black ankle length apron covered her front from the dirt and stains of the flowers.

The second female was much taller, about the same height of the taller blonde servant. Her hair was red, about the same shade as Mey-Rin's, and hung an inch or two past her shoulders. Her bangs were held back with ribbon out of her face.

"Ah, welcome!" The man swung around to greet the servants. His voice seemed musical, and a euphoric grin grew on his face as he outstretched his arms. His hair was a deep purple, shoulder length and held back with a white ribbon. His eyes were silver, and his skin was tanned. All of their skin looked tan, his was the darkest though.

"What can we help you with?"

He gracefully walked towards the servants, almost as if he was waltzing. Mey-Rin's glasses seemed to steam up, and her face grew slightly red.

"W-We were just browsing! W-We smelled the flowers f-from down the street a-" She stammered more as he came closer.

"Feel free to look around! We had a batch of roses brought in a few minutes ago from the fields!"

The servants nodded and browsed the shop. There was no doubt the flowers were freshly cut. Every flower was very saturated with color, and the scents wafting from them were almost overwhelming. The servants knew they needed to buy a centerpiece to match their master, it was too perfect of a store. Sebastian demanded only the best and these would definitely satisfy him. The trio browsed until they found the perfect selection and vase.

* * *

The young boy tapped his thumb against the arm of the chair. Staring out the window he let his revealed eye follow some select townspeople. There was a larger woman in red and blue sitting on a bench with her, what the boy assumed, husband. They were laughing and looking at a child and a kitten chasing each other, both of which must belong to them. Glancing to his left he also saw his butler staring at the group, but focusing on the small cat. The boy rolled his eye and continued to mindlessly observe the residents outside the window, but keeping his ears open for movement outside the door.

"There are three men waiting to ambush us once Mr. Walters thinks he seals the deal. I will take care of them, it should take no more than four minutes to finish negotiations from there. Would you like to stay and see the surrounding area, should there be no followers?"

The boy glanced over at his butler, who spoke to him in hushed tones.

"I trust you to take care of it cleanly, I do not wish to cause an uproar in this town… I feel oddly fond of it." His words halted as he held in a sneeze. "I do not think it would do me well to remain here more than necessary today. Perhaps another day, I do wish to make a contact or two more here."

The butler nodded and shifted his weight back so he could look out the window. Both of their heads turned to the door as it slammed open, and a hefty man sauntered over to the mahogany desk. Sitting down he extended his hand to the young boy.

"Ciel Phantomhive! I thank you deeply for accepting my invitation to my office here in Aynor. I would have chosen my other location, if not for the renovations."

Shaking his hand Ciel nodded.

"I do not mind taking a trip to the countryside every so often. I am fond of this town it was a good day to get out."

The man nodded and laughed, deep and hearty. It was a jolly laugh, his face plump with a trimmed brown beard, trying to compensate for his nearly bald head. Sebastian tilted his head to the side slightly as he observed the man. He was a powerful man in Aynor, and his death will cause a decent deal of panic within the city. Glancing around the room he made observations on how to make the death look like an accident. His master enjoyed the city, therefore he would not allow chaos within it due to his actions.

Clearing his throat, the man looked at Ciel. "As you are aware, from both my letters and short meetings, I am very interested in becoming a much bigger investor within the Funtom Company… possibly even a partner."

Ciel stared back at the man, the boy's silent gaze telling him to continue. His stare also unnerved the man, quietly composing himself Mr. Walters continued.

"I would be able to supply you with many more warehouses and production plants. The merging of our names and resources will increase demand by 75%. The people of the countryside know me well, they trust my name, prices, and quality..."

Ciel's attention wavered from the man, but not his gaze. Ciel continued to stare at the man as he droned on about how beneficial the merge would be for the Funtom company, and for Ciel's profits as well. Ciel knew it was all twisting of words. Sebastian uncovered the debt Mr. Walters had been in for years now. He was a gambling drunk who could put on a jolly face for those around him. He was a no good father who ended up murdering one of his three children, his wife left him and took half of his fortune to support herself and the children. During the divorce process, his wife found out that he had been cheating on her for the entire marriage, with at least twelve women. She could only guess how many children he had actually fathered and abandoned.

The essence he attempted to push out was fake and frankly tiring for the boy. Sure the man had a profit-fountain of a company a few years ago, but that was because of the high rent he put on his residents, the poor condition of their living environments was offensive even to the most basic commoners. The general stores he had his golden grip on paid his workers less than a livable salary. Sebastian also uncovered many scandals Mr. Walters tried to keep hidden. Those could be talked about for weeks, and Ciel decided to break ties as soon as he was a few minutes into the stories. There was no way that Ciel would allow the man to have any more influence within his company.

Ciel let the man ramble on for about another half hour, enjoying how nervous he could make the man with just his stare. He knew he had the upper hand in the situation, and he intended to milk as much amusement as he could out of it for the day. Unfortunately for Mr. Walters, it only lasted for another hour.

"So if you would so kindly initial at the lines marked, leave your signature on page three and six, we will have a deal my friend!"

The man smirked at the boy, underestimating the intelligence Ciel had. Like many others, he thought the boy was mindless and simple, parading around England as though he was playing dress-up. The ties he claimed to have with the queen did not make the man nervous in the slightest, it was most likely lies to feel like an adult.

It was Ciel's turn to smirk back at the man. "I do not believe a merge would be beneficial to Funtom or myself in the slightest. It would greatly hurt my reputation to have the people know that I had partnered with a man who murdered his middle child, obtained at least thirty thousand pounds through embezzlement, and was planning to kill the most loyal servant to the queen."

The man's eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock. He quickly regained his composure, his face a dangerous scowl, face and neck turning red, and motioning a strange signal with his left hand.

"I have never liked children; all they do is whine until they have things their way! Never taking into consideration what a bother they are for adults. I'm glad your parent's aren't alive to see what a pathetic rat you have turned out to be. You will never be a man!"

Ciel's eyes narrowed as his body was overcome with rage. He would not let him see it though, he would remain still and composed to all who opposed him. Grinning he stared the man dead in the eyes.

"Sebastian, go ahead. I command you to kill Mr. Walters and his associates. Distribute his money and accounts to his ex-wife when we are finished here."

Sebastian's eyes glowed a dangerous magenta as Ciel removed his eyepatch and spoke his command. Removing his gloves and coat Sebastian stared at the man. Sebastian could feel the rage coursing through the boy's veins. Ciel's blood grew hotter, as did the blood in Sebastian's body.

"I am my master's servant. Any rage that he feels, I feel. Any connections that betray him, betray me. Anyone who wishes to kill him, will be killed by me." His eyes bright with demonic aura he took the two strides to Mr. Walters desk. "This is what it means to be a Phantomhive servant."

Ciel breathed deeply to collect his rage as Sebastian disposed of Mr. Walters and his assassins that immediately entered the room. After the deed was done, Sebastian cleaned the scene of the crime, leaving Mr. Walter's body at the desk. Thankfully Sebastian's demonic aura had sent the man into cardiac arrest, so there was nothing to hide or clean on the man. He would be fully dead within a minute, maintaining the timeframe Sebastian had promised. Sebastian and Ciel gathered themselves, dusting their influence from the scene, and exited to a carriage awaiting them. They set off to the manor as the three other servants joined soon after.


	2. A Day on the Town

A young blonde girl giggled as she walked down the cobblestone streets.

"Hurry, Paula! The shop is just up ahead!"

A woman with long brown hair jogged after the younger girl, her breathing uneven but not erratic.

"Yes, Milady!"

She smiled as she caught up to the girl. They both turned their heads to the shop at their left. It matched the same stone outside as the rest of the town. It was quaint and tranquil, one of their favorite places to shop and take a leisure day away from the family affairs.

"Isn't Aynor just beautiful?" The small blonde asked, throwing her arms wide, and spinning in a circle as she laughed.

"Yes, Milady." The other woman nodded and smiled.

Entering the small shop, they were greeted by an older woman. Her graying hair was pulled back into a tight bun, she crossed the shop floor quickly and began to open a cabinet.

"Mildred finished the beading last night, let's see how it fits you, Lady Midford."

The older woman pulled out a dress and walked into the adjacent fitting room, the blonde girl and Paula following. Changing from her large pink dress, the young Lady had assistance lacing up the back of her new dress. It was a lighter pastel pink than the one the girl was wearing. The inner part of the dress was made up of layers of pink silk, and then the older woman helped place a cover over the base of the dress. It was a thicker layer of silk with circular patterns made out of white and light pink.

"It fits perfectly! It's just darling!" The Lady exclaimed, hopping in one place as she held her hands up to her face.

The older woman smiled and made her way back to the counter.

"I'm very glad to hear that, it would be upsetting if we did not satisfy one of our best customers."

"Rest assured it perfectly meets my expectations!" The Lady replied. Grabbing her purse from Paula she paid the elder woman, smiled, and then exited the store with her dress.

The two women smiled as they loaded up the carriage with a few more purchases from the nearby stores. Paula looked down at the Lady. The younger girl put her hand to her stomach and sighed.

"We should visit a local café and eat before we head back, I'm feeling quite famished."

"That is a great idea, Lady Elizabeth."

Knocking on the side of the carriage Elizabeth called out.

"Aeria! Oscar! We're thinking of getting lunch in town, you can come along if you would like."

The black door of the passenger seating was opened from the inside by a man. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with chestnut brown hair, gray eyes, and slightly tanned skin. He wore a green shirt and black formal slacks with black shoes. Turning to his right he shook a girl who appeared to be sleeping. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking down at the young girl. Her golden strawberry blonde hair fell past her shoulders and almost to the floor. She wore a long pink chiffon gown that was floor length. She stared at Oscar for a moment with bright sky blue eyes.

"We are ready, Milady." Oscar leapt down from the carriage.

The man helped the other woman down from the carriage, and proceeded with the group to a café down the street. They were greeted by a woman at the entrance and requested a garden side table. The group sat down at a table for six and ordered their drinks. The young girl looked over at the older blonde.

"Let Paula and I braid your hair, I would hate for it to drag on the ground and get dirty."

The older woman smiled and turned her chair, letting the other two run their fingers through the long strands.

"Perhaps I should have it cut to waist length while we are in town, it is becoming too long to handle again."

The two hummed in agreement as they finished the braid, picking a few flowers from the garden and weaving them into the strands occasionally.

"I am quite jealous; my hair is not nearly as long." Elizabeth sighed as she carefully framed Aeria's face with some fringe and bangs.

"Do not be jealous, Milady. I enjoy the color and manageable form of yours! You have more natural curl in yours than I do." Aeria smiled as she also played with the hair of the younger girl.

"I suppose." Elizabeth smiled and returned to her seat as their order was brought out to them.

Paula immediately dug her fork into her salad covered in berries. Aeria cut apart the gravy covered chicken on her plate. Oscar had a fish fillet of some sort, and Elizabeth had a bowl full of various fruits.

"If I am to see Ciel I must eat light. Sebastian is sure to make a remarkable dinner; I am hoping for a stew of some sort today." Elizabeth chatted in between bites of berries.

Oscar wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at the young Lady. "I hear a lot about this Sebastian, he seems like an interesting character."

Elizabeth nodded at Oscar. "He is indeed. I have no idea where the family acquired him, he just showed up one day. He is very devoted to my love and I appreciate his loyalty."

Paula nodded. "He never ceases to surprise me, not many things can happen wrong under his watch."

"What of the other servants?" Pushing her plate to the side Aeria joined the conversation.

The young Elizabeth tapped her chin and looked up to the sky, remembering the details of the other servants. "There is Finnian, the gardener. Mey-Rin, the general maid. Baldroy, the chef. And of course Tanaka, he is the oldest in years and in service. Of course you know about the head butler, Sebastian. He took Tanaka's place as head butler since Tanaka cannot get around like he used to, assisting in managing the company suits him well at the moment."

Aeria placed her head in her hands and looked at Elizabeth. "What of their personalities? What are they like? How do they act?"

"Well…" The young Lady giggled as she thought. "Finnian is a sweetheart he does the best he can for Ciel. He doesn't seem to know his own strength well; he is very prone to breaking things. He broke a tea kettle last time I was there. Mey-Rin is clumsy as well, I believe it is the glasses she wears even though she refuses to remove them. She has a heart similar to Finny. Baldroy is much rougher than the other two. He is more to the point; he really does not dance around decisions when they need to be made. I have seen his softer side though; he is very protective of everyone in the household."

"What of this Sebastian? What was your first impression of him? Other than his devotion to the young Lord."

Elizabeth pursed her lips in thought as she glanced at Oscar. "Well… very formal. He also seems to be much of a perfectionist. I have been in the kitchen enough to know that he does not enjoy mistakes when preparing for an event. I have not seen enough of his personal life to know what he is like. I believe he needs to take a few days off here and there; I do not believe he has taken holiday since he began assisting Ciel."

Paula nodded in agreement. "He has always acted formally in my attendance, especially in Milady's. I do wish to see more of him behind the scenes of his work."

Aeria and Oscar nodded. Everyone looked at Aeria as her head began to drop into her arms again. Rolling his eyes Oscar flicked her cheek with his left hand.

"What was that for?!" She exclaimed as she flicked his back.

"For falling asleep in front of Milady during a meal." Oscar responded.

"Well… I mean… we finished right? I was not technically asleep during the meal, correct?" Aeria blinked rapidly as she fought to stay conscious.

Elizabeth smiled as she looked at her two servants. "I do not mind, but you do need to start taking better care of yourself. At least with your sleeping patterns."

Oscar assisted Aeria out of her seat as the group headed towards the carriage. "I assume it was because of the new moon last night, I know how you react to them."

"Oh… I forgot about that. I hope you forgive me Aeria!" Elizabeth clapped her hands together in apology.

Yawning, Aeria climbed into the carriage as they arrived. She assisted Elizabeth and Paula after herself while Oscar took his place at the reins. "It's alright, Milady. I don't understand why it has been happening though, it just started within the last few years."

Elizabeth nodded. "Well, once we return to the manor you should be able to have a few hours for a nap. Mother and Father are out for the evening I doubt your assistance will be needed from them."

"What of you, Milady?" Aeria asked with drooping eyelids.

The young Lady waved her hand in dismissal. "I have nothing I will need assistance with until we leave for Phantomhive Manor. If I do require something Paula or Oscar will most likely be nearby."

Paula smiled at the younger servant. "Rest well Aeria, I will take care of Milady. You have worked hard enough this week with finishing her mother's dresses."

Aeria nodded as she began to doze off, laying down onto the leather seat.

* * *

"Aeria."

Oscar sighed as she only rolled over in her sleep. Placing his hands on her shoulders she shook her gently.

"Aeria, wake up."

A groan emanated from her throat as she pulled the covers of her bed over her face.

"Aaaeeerrriiaaaaa…" He whispered into her ear as he pulled the covers off.

"Whhaat?" She opened her eyes at him, narrowed with annoyance.

"Milady requests to leave within the hour. We all must change and the Lady asked for your assistance." The bed squeaked slightly as he moved his weight off the side of it. Standing above her Oscar offered his hand, smirking at Aeria when she accepted. In a flash she was flung off of the bed and into the air.

"YOU IDIOT!"

A cackle erupted from him as he placed her onto the ground. "Isn't that what you call a wind-blown style?"

She raked her hands through her hair, removing the remains of the braid from earlier. Stomping over to her small vanity she picked up a silver brush, and by the luck of the gods was able to put her mop of locks into a ponytail. In a flurry she turned, shoved Oscar out into the hall, and shut the door directly in his face.

He grinned at the closed door. "I recommend being in the Lady's room within ten minutes."

With that he turned and made his way to the stables, preparing the carriage for their venture.

* * *

Elizabeth kicked her feet as she sat on the edge of her bed. She sighed as she looked to the three outfits she had picked out in front of her. It was a difficult choice for her, that's why she was waiting for Aeria. She was usually Elizabeth's fashion consultant when making difficult decisions. Glancing at the clock Elizabeth wished that Aeria would hurry, but Elizabeth always was less patient when preparing to leave for Ciel's. She took a deep breath and reminded herself to stay composed. Just because she was excited to see her fiancée did not mean that she should lose her ladylike composure. She smiled as the door to her room flew open and a frazzled Aeria dashed into the room.

"M-Milady! I am here…"

Elizabeth giggled as she looked at the flushed and frazzled Aeria. There was no doubt sprinting up a flight of stairs and down corridors would do that to a person. She gave her a thumbs up as she looked at Aeria's dress. It was a simple brown dress. The top portion was a lighter brown, with dark brown trim, billowed sleeves that cuffed at her wrists. The neckline was cut down the center of her chest, tied together with fabric matching the trim. The bottom of her dress was the darker brown, and a lighter brown strip near the bottom of the skirt. It was a looser fit skirt that slightly billowed from her hips. There was also a built in half corset around her waist. It reminded Elizabeth of a couture pirate outfit. The skirt ended a few inches below her knees, she wore white tights underneath, and darker brown ankle boots. She adorned her neck with a golden necklace from one of their trips to Aynor. It was a pleasing geometrical and elegant design, which went along with the swirl pattern on the right shoulder of her dress. Most of her hair was pulled into a ponytail, while shorter parts fell past her shoulders, blending in with her bangs. Elizabeth believed in having her servants pick their outfits for the most part, she saw the sense of independence and freedom it gave them. Her parents and Ciel did not agree with her, unless special circumstances arose.

"While you catch your breath help me decide on which outfit to wear."

Elizabeth turned her attention to the outfits laid out before her. The one on the far left was mostly orange with yellow trim and a matching orange headband. The center one was a light mint green, with white lace covering the flared skirt. There were white lace gloves that matched and a black choker necklace. The final one on the right was a simple robin's egg blue dress that had a few layers of dark blue translucent silk over the lighter skirt. There was a pearl necklace that went with it and black shoes.

Aeria tapped her chin in thought as she looked over the dresses. "I personally believe the final one on the right would be appropriate for the night. It reflects light beautifully, I adore the varying shades of blue within the skirt of the dress. It also looks the most comfortable to me."

Elizabeth grinned as she snatched the dress into her arms. "I was thinking something similar, thank you for your assistance."

Aeria nodded and smiled as she shut the door and helped Elizabeth into her dress. Zipping up the back of the dress and clasping the pearl necklace around her neck Aeria thought about what to do with her hair.

"What are your opinions on a hairstyle for the evening, Milady?"

Elizabeth removed her curled pigtails and shook her head, letting her natural curl settle her hair down the center of her back. She pursed her lips in thought as she stared into the mirror near her bed.

"Would you be able to put the front half of my hair into a braid? I do not want it to fall forward into any food."

Aeria nodded as she gathered the hair from above her ears and the top of her head into a simple braid trailing down the middle of her back. Elizabeth nodded in acceptance as she stared into the mirror.

"Thank you! I look wonderful, I do hope Ciel appreciates my effort!"

Aeria bowed as she gathered some accessories into a bag and accompanied Elizabeth to the carriage. She assisted Elizabeth into the carriage, seating her next to Paula. She tapped the roof of the carriage as a signal to Oscar. The carriage lurched forward, and they were on their way.

* * *

Hi there! Little Author Note here. At the end of chapters I will occasionally put links down here to photo posts on my Tumblr so you can get a better idea of an outfit-scene-person. I hope you enjoy!

Cover blog/writeallthestories post/157284692626/cover-for-light-and-dark-i-do-not-own-this-image

Aeria Brown Dress blog/writeallthestories post/157284765701/aerias-brown-dress

Aeria Pink Dress - . /blog/writeallthestories post/157284990156/aerias-basic-pink-dress-i-do-not-own-the-image

Elizabeth's Pink Dress - . /blog/writeallthestories post/157285031236/elizabeths-basic-pink-dress-i-do-not-own-the

Doc editor messes up the links so you'll have to take a space out


	3. Dinner and a Show

Sebastian checked his pocket watch for the time, Elizabeth and her company were due at any moment. He stationed Mey-Rin at the entrance while he made a last minute round of the entrance and social rooms. Making his way to the kitchen he felt their presence enter the grounds. He felt the familiar aura of Lady Elizabeth and her head maid Paula. There were two other humans that he did not recognize. One was within the carriage, and the other driving it. Sebastian carried on with his inspection, and then made his way to his young Lord to inform of his Lady's arrival.

Mey-Rin heard the hooves of the horses as the carriage drew closer to the main doors. She smiled, waiting a moment for the carriage to stop, and then opened the doors. Simultaneously she waved and dashed to the carriage, surprisingly not losing her balance. Finnian also waved from the flowerbed he was attending to. They both saw a slightly tanned man jump from the front of the carriage and make his way to the passenger compartment. He had brown slicked back hair, a medium gray dress shirt and black dress slacks. Neither of the Phantomhive servants could tell his eye color from their distance. Opening the door, he assisted the familiar Lady Elizabeth and Paula down from the inside. Lady Elizabeth wore a charming blue dress, while Paula wore a simple peach dress that went to her ankles. Paula's hair was twisted into a neat bun while Lady Elizabeth's was a rare sight as it hung down her back in beautiful curls.

"Welcome Lady Elizabeth! We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival! The young master should be making his way from his study at the moment." Mey-rin exclaimed too loudly.

Mey-Rin led the two women to the entry way of the parlor. Finnian followed behind, making his way to the washroom to rid himself of his dirt-stained clothes. The front doors to the manor closed as the unfamiliar man and another woman entered. Mey-Rin did a double take as she saw the woman step out from behind the man. She felt like a deer caught in headlights as she was stared at by piercing sky blue eyes. She had beautiful golden blonde hair that flowed in a neat ponytail a few inches above the floor. She wore an attractive brown dress and ankle boots. Her heart skipped a beat again as she made eye contact with the man to her right. His grey eyes seemed to bore into her soul. Lady Elizabeth noticed an absence of footsteps from behind her. Turning around and almost slapped herself as she forgot to introduce her servants.

"I am so sorry. I have absolutely no manners, I forgot to introduce you!" She ran over to Aeria and grabbed her arm.

"This is Aeria, my personal caretaker." She then grabbed Oscar's arm. "This is Oscar, he is in charge of the stables and the personal servant to my parents, also our head butler-in-training."

Aeria blushed slightly as she waved with her free arm at the unfamiliar maid. Oscar smiled as his greeting.

"This is Mey-Rin, the household maid." Ciel's voice called out from the bottom of the staircase as he looked at Elizabeth's servants.

Finnian reappeared with a clean white dress shirt and black pants. Baldroy emerged from the depths of the kitchen, with minimal fire damage on his dark blue dress shirt.

"The man on the left behind me is Baldroy, the head chef. The one next to him is Finnian, the gardener." Ciel introduced the two as they stared at the other two unfamiliar Midford servants. Oscar and Aeria waved again.

"Sebastian should be serving refreshments momentarily. He is the head butler of the manor. I am Ciel Phantomhive, pleased to make your acquaintance." He bowed in their direction.

Oscar and Aeria bowed in return as Elizabeth sprinted towards her beloved, efficiently consuming him in a painfully tight hug.

"It is an honor to be invited in addition to our Lady. Your home is very beautiful; I commend your staff on their up keeping of the manor." Oscar spoke, his words ringing off of the parlor walls.

"It is no easy feat, but what kind of servants would we be if the manor was not spotless?" A deep voice entered the room from the kitchens on the left.

Sebastian's eyes met Oscars, making millions of observations within a single second. He then trailed his sight over to Aeria, his wine-red irises meeting sky blue. He paused for a moment, and then spun on his heels. "If you would follow me, I believe refreshments are ready."

Aeria continued through the dining room, making her way to the table within the kitchen. It was not proper for servants and their masters to be at the same table. She knew that her Lady apposed that rule, but she could tell at a glance Ciel was not like her Lady. Aeria knew her place and made sure she made her way to it. Taking a seat at the kitchen table she thought about the servants she was introduced to.

 _'_ _Mey-Rin is obviously the redhead, as there are no other females other than myself. Finnian is the younger blonde, he seems much more friendly than the other blonde, in addition to being younger. Sebastian… Paula was right he is just formal.'_

Raising her head, she smiled as Oscar entered the kitchen and took the seat next to her, Paula did the same on her other side. They were alone a moment longer before the trio of servants entered the kitchen as well. Finnian took the seat next to Oscar, Mey-Rin next to Paula, and Baldroy opted to lean against the kitchen counter, his back to the wall.

"Our lady gave us brief details about all of you, but I believe one is missing." Oscar broke the silence.

"Tanaka is away in London on Funtom Company business." Finnian smiled as he answered.

"Ah."

Mey-Rin cleared her throat as she began to speak. "We have met Miss Paula on a few occasions, but we have never heard about either of you. How long have you served Miss Elizabeth?"

Oscar looked up in thought. "I have been under Milady's care since about age 6. Well, the care of the Marquess and Marchioness."

"I also have been with the Midford's since a young age." Aeria added.

Paula smiled as she looked at her coworkers. "They were both taken in from the orphanage in Aynor at young ages, and are inseparable as you might guess."

Aeria and Oscar linked arms as on cue, smiling at the trio. Everyone looked at the entrance of the kitchen as Sebastian entered.

"Dinner has been served to the young Lady and Lord. The servings for us are on the counter near the sink." Sebastian took the seat at the head of the table, opposite of Aeria.

Baldroy and Finnian began to hand out servings of stew to the table. Sebastian began to display the elegance of the dish he created, naming the key ingredients and taste. Aeria's attention was focused in observing the head butler, she did not hear exactly what he was saying. He had a slim face and body, fair skin, and the darkest shade of black hair she had ever seen. It contrasted well with his wine-red eyes, which seemed able to stare through anyone who caught his attention. She rated his overall appearance as orderly and extremely attractive in the eyes of society. As he sat down everyone began to eat his creation.

"Milady was correct; your meals are something to look forward to." Oscar commented as he was halfway through his bowl.

Aeria and Paula nodded in agreement. Aeria raised her eyebrow slightly as she looked up at Sebastian, he had no serving before him. Her eyes met his and held for a moment before she looked back to her meal. She had a strange feeling crawling up and down her spine. It was slight but she could not shake it for some reason. She looked to her left to see Oscar staring at her as he ate, he could tell something was bothering her. She sent him a look saying that they would talk about it later, he nodded in return. The table then began idle chat, asking about hobbies, their favorite things to do as servants for each household, and the most difficult aspects of caring for their masters.

"Marchioness Midford accepts nothing but excellence. It takes a few tries at times to get a task completed to her expectations. Marquis is more manageable. Milady forgets the border between Master and servant most of the time." Oscar put his insight into the conversation.

Paula and Aeria nodded, it was accurate.

"Milady is the easiest to satisfy, as soon as you begin talk about fashion she will immediately cheer up. She prides herself on being in the know of the latest trends and styles. We often travel to Aynor; she has a personal seamstress in one of the shops downtown."

Mey-Rin's face held excitement as she looked to Paula. "Master enjoys frequenting Aynor on his less busy days as well! I am surprised we have not run into each other before."

"It is such a beautiful city!" Finnian exclaimed.

Oscar nodded. "I am proud to come from there; it is quite- "

He was cut off as the window directly behind Aeria shattered, a bullet scraped along her cheek and lodged its self into the table, shattering Mey-Rin's bowl. Everyone looked to Aeria, who's eyes were wide in shock. She immediately threw her hand up to her cheek and ran from the room.

"Aeria!" Paula's voice was full of concern as she followed.

The entire table launched into action, the trio flew out the back door to identify the source of the bullet. Sebastian looked at Oscar, who's eyes were full of rage. He stared at the bullet in the table, picked it up, and crushed it to dust within his hand. Sebastian raised his eyebrows, it seems the Midford servants had secrets of their own.

"Are you well versed in combat?"

Oscar looked at Sebastian, a fire burning in his eyes. Sebastian took that as a yes.

"Follow me then."

Sebastian disappeared out the back door in a flash. It was Oscar's turn to raise his eyebrows, it seemed the Phantomhive servants were not who or what they seemed to be. In a similar blur Oscar vanished from the kitchen, appearing near Sebastian in the middle of the back yard. Bullets filled the air, flying in all directions from the trees. Simultaneously Oscar and Sebastian caught exactly two handfuls of bullets, and begun to fling them towards the places they originated. Screams and dull thuds were heard in the distance.

Sebastian stopped in his tracks as a red rune appeared on the ground beneath Oscar and himself. Looking to his left he saw Oscar's hands glowing a bright red as he stared into the distance. Sebastian sensed that the man had even halted his own breathing completely. Curiosity overcame Sebastian as a few hundreds of black scaled monsters flowed from the outside of the runes. They were the size of a small dog, with large white teeth protruding from their overbite mouths. The rune then turned a sickly green as the bodies of the monsters obtained a translucent glow of the same color. All at once the monsters rushed in orderly lines, breaking off in groups throughout the trees. Vicious growls and screams were heard, and then silence moments later. Mey-Rin, Finnian, and Baldroy entered the field, staring at Oscar. A black aura surrounded him, white runes crawled over his skin like living tattoos. Closing his eyes Oscar flicked his wrist to the right, and everything that seemed strange vanished within a second.

There was nothing but awed silence.

"Magic."

That was his cold response as he turned and headed back into the manor.


	4. My Children

The servant's minds were in a whirl. Never had they ever before seen such a tactic be used in a fight. All four the of the Phantomhive servants stared as Oscar returned to the kitchens. The trio looked to Sebastian for insight, he merely shrugged his shoulders, he was as bewildered as they were. The trio followed Oscar inside while Sebastian made rounds of the woods, looking for the bodies of the intruders. Following the common dirt path for the servants he started on the left side of the grounds. He found nothing, not even the scent of the victim's blood. There were no traces of the strange creatures either, other than an occasional scratch in a tree. He closed his eyes, scanning his senses over the entirety of the grounds, there was no trace of a struggle anywhere. He continued along the path until he circled around to the back door of the manor.

 _'_ _He claimed it to be magic. But the magic he performed was no small feat, that was a moderate level summoning spell. He was not even drained by the time he dispelled it. I will have to keep my senses on high alert and observe him very closely.'_

He entered the kitchen doors to see Oscar over viewing the bandage on Aeria's cheek. Paula looked at Oscar with a concerned expression, they shared a glance and she nodded.

 _'_ _Their bonds must be very close to know meaning of one glace.'_

Leaning against the door Sebastian observed Aeria. Her pale cheeks were tinged with pink as she seemed to reassure her male companion. Sebastian let his eyes trail over her. By no means was she unattractive. Her long golden blonde hair hung a few inches above the floor, in certain lighting it seemed to have a red tint. Sebastian tilted his head as he looked at the clothes she was wearing. The dress was simple yet fashionable, he could tell she had simple tastes. Closing his eyes, he extended his aura and attempted to read hers. Frowning he withdrew himself, he could not sense anything from her. Not even a simple human aura. He narrowed his eyes on the group of Midford's, and exited to the dining room.

"Sebastian."

Sebastian bowed as Ciel called his name.

"Yes, My Lord?"

Ciel's visible eye narrowed suspiciously. Sebastian raised his eyebrows in response with a look of curiosity in his eyes. Ciel's eyes widened, it was not easy to surprise Sebastian, he was very eager to talk to Sebastian in private. Looking out the windows Ciel noted the darkening sky.

"Elizabeth, it seems to be growing late. I would prefer you to leave prior to dusk, nasty things wait in the night."

Elizabeth glanced out the windows, returning her gaze to her beloved with a frown.

"I enjoyed your presence this evening, perhaps you could return later this week."

Standing up from the chessboard they were seated at, Ciel moved near Elizabeth, embracing her into a hug. Elizabeth's eyes lit up as she hugged him back. Taking a step back she curtsied to Ciel.

"It has been a pleasure my love. I eagerly await your invitation." Ciel gave a small smile as Elizabeth giggled from her formality.

"Feel free to bring your servants along, they are welcome." Sebastian added.

Sebastian assisted Elizabeth to her carriage, his eyes following the new servants as the carriage was boarded and vanished from sight. He immediately turned to Ciel who was waiting at the top of the front steps.

"Do tell me what has you so frazzled." Ciel inquired as he stared at his butler.

"It seems that Lady Elizabeth also keeps inhuman company."

Ciel's face grew pale in an instant. Sebastian's face remained calm as Ciel clutched at his heart. His eyes widened in true fear and concern, slowly stumbling down the steps.

"Is she in a contract as well?"

Ciel clung to Sebastian's sleeve in desperation of his answer. Sebastian sighed as he looked at the boy, it was very unusual for him to show such fear, but Elizabeth was the closest human he had left.

"I do not sense that her new servants are demons, but I can guarantee that they are not human."

Ciel regained some color as he let go of Sebastian's sleeve. His muscles un-tensed as he put his hands to his face in relief.

"Is that why you invited them to return with Elizabeth?"

Sebastian nodded as he ushered the young Lord back into the parlor of the manor.

"Are they reapers?"

Sebastian grimaced and looked down at his Lord with raised eyebrows.

"Do you honestly believe I would allow such filth to enter this home?"

Ciel made a grunt of agreement. "Right."

Sebastian followed Ciel up into his study. "It seems that the male, Oscar, is capable of very high level summoning spells."

Ciel sat at his desk, folding his chin into his hands and listened to Sebastian with high interest.

"What of the girl?"

Sebastian shrugged as he sat in the chair near the door. "I tried to read her aura, but there was nothing. Not even a human soul."

"Have you ever run into that before?" Ciel asked.

"I have run into the situation while a spell was placed hiding the aura of a person, but it is almost impossible for it to last the entire time she was here. Never have I run into a spell that can completely conceal a being's soul before. I also am unaware of any potential abilities the pair might have other than what I have seen today."

"Hmm…"

"Do you wish me to investigate?"  
Ciel nodded. "Yes, but I worry that even you can be detected by them if their abilities happen to be extraordinary."

"Perhaps I should begin after their next visit. I do not sense concern for Lady Elizabeth as the pair obviously care for her."

"That eases some of my worries."

Sebastian stood and turned to exit the room. "I believe it would be safest to wait before taking action."

"I trust you to gauge the situation at the moment. I have no experience with supernatural entities besides yourself, if you have any information or notions about them report it to me immediately."

"Yes, My Lord." With a bow Sebastian left the room, his eyes glowing a demonic magenta as he took to the dark streets to see if he could gather some information.

* * *

 _"_ _Heh heh heh… Hellloooo~!"_

An eerie voice called from the depths of the dark room. The ground and walls were littered with ornate coffins of all sizes.

"Are you here for a fitting?"

Sebastian sighed as the voice now came from directly behind him.

"No, Undertaker. I am here for information."

"Of course you are…" The Undertaker grumbled and made his way to the counter near the back wall. "I do not require a price today; I am not in the best of moods at the moment." His long black fingernails strummed against the marble counter.

Sebastian leaned against the counter, looking at the strange man dressed in black. "I will make this quick then…What do you know about magic users?"

"Odd request." The Undertaker placed his head in his hands. "You are going to have to be more specific, demon."

Sebastian growled internally. "There are two servants of another house I ran into today. They claim to originate from Aynor, raised as servants within their household. One is capable of casting moderate level summoning spells, and the other seems to lack a soul."

"Hmm…" The Undertaker grimaced in thought. "Magic in Aynor does not seem uncommon…"

He turned to the bookshelf behind him and ran his fingernail over the black leather spines. "Here."

He selected a light gray book, the bindings looked newer than most of the books on his shelf.

"What are their names?" The Undertaker asked as he began to flip through the pages.

"Oscar and Aeria of the Midford Manor."

Slowly the Undertaker looked at Sebastian. With a wide grin he put the book back onto the shelves. "I don't need a book to tell me what _they_ are." He folded his hands and placed his chin on them, chuckling deeply. "What do you wish to know of my little angels?" His bright green eyes gave a dangerous look through his bangs.

Sebastian was taken back by his unexpected comment. "Your… what? You know them?"

The Undertaker slowly nodded, not blinking. "What. Do. You. Wish. To. Know. About. My. Angels." He repeated.

Sebastian was speechless for the first time in a while. Even he was uncertain as how to continue the conversation without increasing the sudden rage of the strange man.

"What are they?" Sebastian asked, keeping his voice level, not backing down.

"My children. I raised them of course." The Undertaker replied.

Sebastian blinked in surprise. "You have children?"

"Not by blood, but yes we are a family… I suppose."

"They stated that they were under the care of the Midford family." Sebastian began to question the Undertaker.

"Who do you think raised them before? Even under the care of the Midford family I saw them during the nights." The Undertaker moved from behind the counter and sat upon a silver coffin. "Occasionally they visit me to this day. Ah, what a sad feeling it is to have an empty nest." Undertaker sobbed into his hands.

Sebastian stood, staring at the man with a confused expression, his mood swings were intense today.

"Yes, they are magic users. And no, they are no threat to you. I will also not allow you to be a threat to them." Undertaker growled as he looked up at Sebastian. "Abandon your curiosity for your own good, boy."

Sebastian growled at the man. "Hold your tongue on who you call 'boy'."

The Undertaker stood up immediately, pushing the coffin across the entire room, shaking the building as it collided with the wall.

"I will call you what I wish, as I wish. It would do you good to respect your elders." Taking steps towards Sebastian, Undertaker jabbed his finger into the center of the demon's chest.

"You are not my elder." Sebastian growled, exposing his fangs.

Pulling his bangs from his face the Undertaker glared at him. "I assure you that I am indeed your elder. In your human form and throughout your existence prior."

Sebastian growled and let his eyes flash into a deep magenta.

"Leave my home, demon." White runes seemed to melt from the Undertaker's eyes and drip down his cheek as Sebastian felt a force shove him from the room, and out the door.

Rage racked the demon's body, he dashed to the entrance and attempted to kick down the door. But it seemed there was a strange chain-mail of light covering the door made out of various golden runes. He growled and stormed off as he realized it was some sort of demon protection spell. He ran back to Phantomhive Manor, hoping the cool summer night air would calm his senses.


	5. Investigations and Party Planning

Ciel awoke to Sebastian throwing the curtains open. The light blinded the boy as usual, but he didn't complain this morning for once. Sebastian began to dress the boy, and then brought in his breakfast.

"Eggs Benedict and Earl Grey tea today." Ciel yawned as he began to eat.

Sebastian took his place in the chair near the door. "There was an interesting development last night regarding the origin of Lady Elizabeth's servants."

Ciel raised his eyebrows and nodded for Sebastian to continue.

"It would seem that The Undertaker is their father."

"The Undertaker has children?" Ciel asked, clearly bewildered.

Sebastian put his chin in his hand as he looked out the window. "It appears it is not a blood relation, he merely raised them from birth until the time he handed them over to the Midford's. I was unable to retrieve the information of who or what they actually are, Undertaker became quite defensive and chased me out of his parlor. I was also unable to gather more information on the reason they were removed from his care."

"It seems he is quite protective of them." Ciel muttered as he finished his breakfast.

"Quite." Sebastian narrowed his eyes as some of his rage returned from the previous night.

"Well… I hope to gather more information. I will turn to my study now, perhaps I might be able to find a few clues." Ciel stood from his bed and left the room.

Sebastian cleaned up the plates from Ciel's breakfast, and made his bed. He then followed Ciel to the study, it was Saturday so Ciel had no lessons today. The other servants knew what their morning duties were, so Sebastian remained by Ciel's side for a bit longer. He hoped his young master would somehow be able to dig up some information from his library, Sebastian still burned with curiosity.

"Master! An invitation!" Mey-Rin screamed as she ran to the study, falling over the carpet. The letter flew lazily from her hands and landed on the desk in front of Ciel.

The boy sighed and looked down at his useless maid. "Thank you."

Ciel opened the invitation, it was for a ball being held at the Midford Manor within the week. What better way learning about the new servants than seeing them in their own home? Ciel threw the invitation to Sebastian, who read it and then placed it on the desk. Ciel looked at Mey-Rin.

"Tell the messenger that the entire Phantomhive household accepts. Ciel and his servants."

Mey-Rin's face lit up in joy. "Yes sir! A party!"

Mey-Rin then proceeded to sprint from the room, screaming about how everyone was invited to a party. He heard the excited voices of Bard and Finny join in. Ciel rolled his eyes and put his head into his hands.

"Tell Tanaka to keep a close eye on them when we go. I suppose they can be the distraction as you sneak into the servant's rooms to understand more about them. Maybe there are obvious artifacts you might recognize."

Sebastian nodded and left the room, attending to the duties for the day.

* * *

Over in the Midford Manor, chaos echoed throughout the halls.

"Milady, perhaps we should plan one room at a time…" Aeria sighed as she looked to Elizabeth, who was running in every direction practically screaming in excitement.

"Look at the place settings! I have ribbon to hang in the entryway. Is this flower arrangement not divine?! This new rug will do wonders in brightening the dining room…" She continued to drawl on… and on… god save her servants.

Aeria glanced over at Paula who was busy tasting their selections of spiked punch. She seemed to be enjoying the selections a bit too much…  
"Pink! Pink everywhere! On the ground, curtains! We can paint the tables! We can paint ourselves!" She wobbled in her chair, kicking her leg and arms into the air, sloshing the drink onto the marble floor. "Woo!"

Aeria sighed and smiled as she looked to her elder. ' _Well… I guess you just need to have fun sometimes.'_ Adjusting Paula in her chair Aeria also tried a sip of the spiked punch.

"Bleh…" Her face looked as though she ate something sour.

"Is that one a no go?" Oscar asked, wiping his hands with a dishcloth and entering the room.

Aeria nodded and sat the drink down.

Oscar grinned at her. "That's probably because it was dishwater."

Aeria deadpanned. "Of course it was…" She slapped her hand to her forehead. "I never drink! How could I tell?!"

"I mean… the rest of them are pink…" He hid his grin behind his hand as he looked to his blushing co-worker.

"You know what?! Shut up!" Aeria's voice raised pitch as her face began to match the color of the punch itself.

Oscar chuckled as he grabbed her arm, leading her back into the kitchen. Glancing over at her, he grinned. "Think you can help me wash these without drinking the water?"

Aeria angrily slammed her hand into the water, forcefully grabbing a teacup and muttering to Oscar. "I will end you."

Rolling his eyes, he dried the dishes as she handed them to him. Within five minutes they were able to finish all of the dishes and put them in the correct cabinets. Oscar reached his hand into the water, pulling up the plug, and then rewashed his hands.

"What is completed in the planning so far?" He asked.

Aeria sat down at the kitchen table, reviewing a list. "Um… it seems that all of the invitations were sent out. James returned with the acceptance from the… Walsh's, Richmond's, Heung's, Lee's, Smith's, and Phantomhive's. Four other households said they will respond tomorrow, and the Müller's rejected because of scheduling conflicts. Personally I think they just don't like us, but… whatever."

Oscar took the seat to her right. "The possibility of twelve groups. Not bad, not small, but not huge. This should be an easier event to take care of."

She nodded, tapping the pen to her mouth in thought. "I believe the color scheme should be somewhat muted. Everyone invited knows about Lady Elizabeth's fascination with pink, but I also want to include the style of Lady Francis. I think silver would be a good compliment. Greys would be best to blend the style as well, perhaps much darker shades."

Oscar watched her as she began to sketch out her idea for the entryway into the manor.

"Nothing to complicated, just impressive." She continued to sketch.

Oscar nodded, seeing where her vision was going. "Will those fabrics be silver?" Pointing at the ribbons streaming down from the doorway to the ballroom.

She nodded. "I suppose that could work…"

Oscar took a piece of paper and began to sketch his plans for the dining room and steps leading into the manor. The two began drawing side by side, exchanging papers every so often. When they were finished with four of the main party rooms Lady Elizabeth wandered into the kitchen. The two servants beckoned her to the table and showed her their ideas so far. Smiling brightly Elizabeth approved, after adding a few ribbons here and there of course. They worked on their plans for about another hour. When they felt they were complete Elizabeth placed them into a folder, and searched for her mother to approve the plans. The Marchioness approved, and did a walkthrough of her servant's visions throughout the house. She then requested to leave for Aynor to be fitted for their dresses. Oscar and Aeria prepared the wagon, leaving Paula in their co-worker's hands. Lady Elizabeth and Francis were assisted into the wagon by Aeria. She then gave the signal, and the group were off.

* * *

"What do you think the party will be like?" Finny excitedly asked Mey-Rin as they cleaned the foyer.

Swooning from the images in her mind Mey-Rin danced with the mop. "Everyone there will be beautiful! There will be dancing, amazing food! And I will be swept off my feet by a very handsome man!" She began to squeal in delight as she imagined a masked Sebastian dancing the night away with her.

Finny smiled as he thought of the party. He dipped his brush into the bucket of water and began to scrub the tile. "I wonder how many new people we will meet! We have to be on our best behavior! We wouldn't want to embarrass the young Master and Sebastian."

Mey-Rin nodded. "No, we mustn't! For we would truly be scolded when we return…"

Finny and Mey-Rin shuddered at the thought of one of Sebastian's severe scolding sessions. They did not see it too often, but it always scared the daylights out of them. They continued to clean the foyer, moving to the dining room when they were finished. Once they completed that task they searched for Sebastian for approval. Glancing around the room he sighed, it wasn't perfect, but he supposed it was good for them. Dismissing the two Sebastian finished cleaning the room to his standard. Mey-Rin ran to her room with Finny and begun to try on dresses.

"What about this one?" She asked exiting the bathroom.

It was a teal metallic dress with very puffed sleeves. The skirt flared out from her waist almost as much as her sleeves did.

Finny made a face. "Um… I don't think that would be the best color on you."

Mey-Rin nodded, returning to the bathroom with another dress.

"This one?" She asked as she exited again.

The dress was a deep maroon, it reached her ankles. The skirt was made out of layers of smooth chiffon that draped over her body, it looked very easy to move in. The waist was a black corset, and the bodice looked like that of a German barmaid's.

Finny clapped. "Yes! That one is very nice!"

Standing up he made his way over to her, taking her hair out of their typical pigtails.

"You should let your hair down, maybe have it straightened!" He smiled as he looked at Mey-Rin.

She nodded, taking her glasses off for a moment and staring in the mirror. Without her precious glasses and her hair down, she looked like an entirely different person. She tapped her chin in thought as she looked over at her makeup.

"Maybe I should just line my eyes with black and wear a dark purple lipstick."

Finny nodded. "That would look great!"

Mey-Rin smiled as she nodded. "That is what I will do then! Thank you, Finny!" Running to the bathroom she replaced her dress with her uniform, placed her glasses back on her face, and put her hair back up. She carefully placed the dress inside her wardrobe, excited for the party.

* * *

Ciel and Sebastian sat in Ciel's room. Sebastian rummaged through the boy's closet, selecting his party wear for him. He pulled out a deep blue dress shirt, with a black jacket and pants. He let Ciel pick out his own accessories.

"What are your plans for gathering information?" Ciel asked as he placed a hat on the chair next to him.

Sebastian shrugged as he sat down. "As the servants greet the guests I will introduce myself, and then search the manor."

"What if you get caught." Ciel looked over at him.

"It depends on who I get caught by. If it is the girl, I suppose I could attempt to charm her. If it is the boy, I can just act confused. I doubt I will be sensed, my Lord."

Ciel made a face. "Charm?"

Sebastian nodded. "It is not an unusual act for myself to rely on."

"What if she is immune?" Ciel raised an eyebrow.

Sebastian looked out the window in thought. "Hmm… that would be interesting. I suppose I will cross that bridge when I arrive."

Ciel sighed and returned to his clothing selection. "I was unable to find anything resembling the spell the man cast."

"I believe the only way you would find that spell is if you browse an occult shop."

Ciel hummed in agreement. "Do you know of any such shops?"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes in thought. "I have a few in mind."

Ciel turned to him. "We should venture to it today, in preparation of what might await us at the party."

Standing from his spot, Sebastian left the room to prepare the carriage.

Ciel sat on his bed, his eyebrows raised in thought.

 _'_ _Since demons and grim reapers are real, I suppose I should begin to think about what other mythical creatures could be in England. I know of mermaids, kelpies, pixies, nymphs, dryads. I wonder if there really are angels that walk the earth… could they be?'_ He shook his head. _'Magic that angels use would not have runes, would they? I suppose the first thing we should do is identify the runes that Sebastian saw, and tie them to the creatures most likely to use them. I remember Sebastian said Undertaker called them his little angels, it could either be a term of endearment, or they could be actual angels. But wouldn't they be able to immediately sense Sebastian? I would think so, being the exact opposite of him.'_

Ciel was brought out of his thoughts as Baldroy entered the room, telling him that Sebastian had the carriage ready. Ciel dismissed Bard and exited the manor, with curiosity burning in his core.


	6. Parental Advice

Elizabeth clapped her hands together as she looked to her caretaker. "You look amazing!"

Aeria blushed as she looked in the mirror. "Thank you for getting me this dress, Lady Elizabeth. I could have saved you the expense and worn one of my other dresses though. You know I dislike if you waste money on me."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Don't you dare think I ever waste money on you! You are my friend and an important person to me! It is not 'wasting money' if I buy you something."

Aeria smiled. "Yes, Milady."

Elizabeth smiled into the mirror as she finished styling the last piece of hair on Aeria. "Now just add pink lipstick and your makeup is done!"

Aeria complied, putting the gloss over her lips carefully. Elizabeth squealed in delight as her friend turned to face her. She will truly be a Belle of the ball. Aeria smiled and straightened the many bows covering Elizabeth's dress.

"I believe your mother is awaiting us in the dining room for instructions." Aeria sighed as she gathered a few essential items into a clutch purse.

Elizabeth nodded and ran out of the room, her servant not far behind. The entire household, except those working on the grounds of the manor, met in the dining room. The Marchioness and Marquess inspected their servants, they nodded in agreement with the presentation of the servants. Those preparing food and serving wore slightly more elegant uniforms of black and silver. Personal servants and a few body guards were dressed up to blend in with the crowd in order to protect their Master's to the best of their ability. They were then dismissed to perform any additional preparations needed for the party. The secret servants were held back to go over basic strategies concerning any unfortunate events that may happen. The group was dismissed as the announcement of the first guest arriving. The family of the Manor made their way up to the bedrooms to prepare for their dramatic entrance.

* * *

Ciel glanced out his window as the carriage came to a stop. The week had passed quickly, almost in a blur. His mind was focused on his research that was compiled within the last few days. They were not able to gather much information about the symbols Oscar had used, but they were able to locate legends of creatures who were capable of such spells. Ciel's eyes adjusted to the light from outside the carriage as the door opened and a white gloved hand was offered to the boy. Ciel stepped down from the carriage and made his way up the steps to the large manor, his servants in tow. Once the white doors opened a few of his servants squealed in joy. The manor looked beautiful. There were strips of ribbon and fabric adorning every entry way, bright and pastel flowers on every table. Nothing was left untouched. Ciel nodded his head in approval, he expected nothing less from his Lizzie's family. Making his way through the crowd to Elizabeth he made observations of the people around him, it seems a few carriages arrived before him. That is good, it did not make it seem like he was eager to arrive, which he was of course.

"Cielll~!" Elizabeth cried out as she launched herself into her love's arms.

She wore a cream dress with baby pink bows surrounding her waist. Her hair was expertly braided to the back of her head, where it fell into curls, and her bangs were tussled loosely around her face, framing it delicately. Ciel hugged her back quickly, and turned to greet the Marchioness and the Marquis.

"It is lovely to meet you all again." Ciel greeted. "I expected nothing less of the decorations." He nodded towards the large display adorning the main stairs.

The Marchioness nodded curtly. "Why thank you, it was an effort well rewarded. I have an excellent staff that exceeded my own expectations."

A small smile appeared on her face for a short moment, she honestly admired the work that was done, surprisingly. The Marquis patted Ciel on the back, greeted him, and then allowed him to continue the night with Elizabeth. The heads of the household had many more people to greet. Ciel nodded to his servants behind him, a signal to disperse. Finny and Mey-Rin roamed the ballroom together, greeting the servants of the other households. Baldroy observed everyone from afar, keeping his eyes on all of the exits. Sebastian joined Baldroy, searching the crowd for his targets.

His eyes narrowed as he saw a man descend from the stairway. Oscar had his hair slicked back into a neat hairstyle, with a black tux and a dark green vest. Baldroy nodded as Sebastian removed himself from the wall and advanced into the crowd.

* * *

Oscar descended the stairwell, glancing in all directions at the attendees. He finished the last of his champagne, placing it on a tray carried by one of his co-workers. He hated making a mess for them, but he had to play his part in order to protect the family. Not just the nobles, but the servants too. He made his way slowly through the crowd, making idle chat with the guests. It was pleasant, many of the haughty families declined the invitation, so the majority of the guests were households he actually got along with. He noticed a few servants in hiding that were familiar to him from one or two households. Many households do not have many servants that act a part at social gatherings, mostly just the top of their social class. He allowed himself a small smile as he saw the familiar blonde and red-head of the Phantomhives. He saw them making idle chat with guests, they tried to blend in but they were obviously flustered, anyone could tell they were not used to this much attention. He scanned the room while leaning against one of the pillars, casually observing once again.

"You've gotten a lot better at that." A gruff voice came from his left.

Oscar jumped in surprise as he looked to his side. He beamed as his grey eyes met bright green ones. The man wore a black and silver suit, his long silver hair slicked back and tied to look much shorter than what it was.

"What are you doing here?" Oscar asked, his voice holding forcibly muted excitement.

The Undertaker winked and motioned his son to follow him. Oscar met the eyes of one of the other hidden servants, who nodded in a silent agreement to allow the two alone time. Undertaker took long and calm strides to one of the balcony's off of the main ballroom. He swirled dark wine in the glass he was holding as he looked to the sunset.

"How are you and your sister?" He asked, glancing over at Oscar.

Oscar leaned against the railing of the balcony. "We have been fine. Aeria has wanted to see you for a while now though. It has been a few months since you have visited, and the Marchioness has had too much work to allow us free time. Undertaker smiled softly and pulled Oscar's shoulder into a side hug. They both enjoyed each other's company for a moment as they looked to the sky.

"I have also been quite busy myself." Undertaker said after absorbing their shared moment.

Oscar raised an eyebrow. "Serial Killer? Plague racking a countryside?"

Undertaker removed his arm and also leaned against the balcony. "That would be much more pleasant."

Oscar waited in silence for his father to continue his thoughts. It was best to allow Undertaker to talk without interruption when he was actually being serious.

Undertaker sighed as he downed the last of his wine. "It seems there is a demon that has taken notice of you and your sister.'

Oscar's eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" His question sounded more of a harsh statement than a curious one.

His father shrugged as he placed his wineglass onto the balcony. "You know as well as I do that demons are curious creatures." He paused for a moment. "And if their curiosity is not quenched immediately, it does not lead to great things."

Oscar's heart was racing at a slightly uncomfortable rate. "When did this happen? Who is the demon?"

Undertaker sighed in frustration. "Unfortunately I am unable to reveal their allegiance. I just want you to be careful. Look after your sister, and whatever you do… do not let your guard down."

Oscar nodded sternly.

"I am unsure of their motives other than curiosity. I cannot predict what their actions in the future might be. I hope for the best that they will abandon their curiosity or simply act respectfully-"

Undertaker suddenly spun behind him and caught something large that bounded into him.

"Father!" Aeria squealed as Undertaker spun her in a circle like a child.

"Hello my angel." He greeted her, his voice trembling out of its controlled demeanor. He coughed and gained control, his excited voice would be too recognizable to some guests at the party. Aeria continued to hug him and hum happily as Undertaker made a final warning glance at Oscar. Undertaker hugged his daughter back as Oscar nodded, they would continue the conversation at a later time, or if something occurs anytime in the near future. Oscar left his father and sister after a final quick hug, returning to his post within the party.

"Where have you been?" Aeria asked, looking up at the taller man.

Undertaker smiled sadly as he tapped his daughter on the nose. "I am sorry angel; a lot of work has come up for me. I meant to visit more often but there hasn't been a recent opportunity until I received this invitation."

Aeria returned his sad smile with one of her own. "I understand. The Marchioness has had us working quite often as well. You were one of the first invitations sent though, I believe she knew of our longing to see you recently."

He nodded and detached his daughter from himself, spinning her in a circle to see the outfit she was in. "You look beautiful tonight, my dear."

Finishing the twirl, she turned and beamed at him. "Thank you, Lady Elizabeth assisted me with my hair."

Undertaker smiled and played with a few strands of hair that came undone from her thick half-braid. He allowed them to fall and join the other curls flowing down her back. Since it was mostly curled her hair reached her calves tonight instead of her ankles.

"Your hair grows so fast." He smiled.

She nodded. "It always has."

He nodded yet again in agreement, pulling his daughter into a hug and savoring the moment as he did with her brother. He glanced towards the windows to his right and saw a few ladies fanning themselves in his direction, he attracted attention already. He slightly grimaced and released his daughter, replacing it with a smile once her eyes met his. He did not want to show her his annoyance or worry of the current situation.

"I will return soon my dear, it seems I have already attracted too much attention for the night though. Do thank Francis and Alexis on my behalf for the invitation. Although I should not stay long I appreciated seeing you and your brother again." He patted her head as they entered the ballroom. Aeria escorted him to the front exit, with a brief appearance and farewell from Oscar after handing a wrapped box of food to his father for the road. Undertaker chuckled at his son, kissed his daughter on the forehead, and exited into the now night.


	7. A Dangerous Dance

Sebastian maneuvered the crowd easily, making his way through the outskirts hoping not to be noticed by the man. Sebastian was not evading a human, so it was difficult to detect how easily Oscar was able to sense him. Slinking around waiters and women he came to rest against a wall near the stairs, which had a decent view of Oscar. He waited for a few moments, staring out the corner of his eyes. His eyes traced the pattern of Oscars, it was obvious that he was scanning the crowd. Sebastian was curious as to what he was looking for. Oscar was a servant in disguise, the same role Sebastian and the other servants were portraying. Perhaps the servant was simply scanning for danger or suspicious characters, Sebastian was slightly interested. He made sure that there was nothing suspicious about his own behavior.

After a few more minutes of observation, his vision was blocked by a man. He looked very clean cut and sophisticated. His black suit with silver trim and his medium length silver hair looked sharp, but not too sharp. The man's hair was tied into a folded ponytail with black string, the bangs on his forehead were skillfully slicked back into the look. Sebastian almost let a growl escape his throat. It was the Undertaker.

After standing next to Oscar for a few moments, Undertaker turned slightly and whispered a greeting. Sebastian could not hear a word he said, nor could he read his lips because of the angle of his face. He was good. Undertaker knew Oscar was being observed. Sebastian continued to observe, a grimace still on his face. He did not let his eyes break from them until Undertaker turned and headed for one of the balcony's outside. Shifting around the pillar he adjusted himself to get a better view. Undertaker moved to the side of the balcony that was blocked from view of the inside.

This was not making Sebastian any happier. Closing his eyes, he expanded his hearing, but once he reached the open doors of the balcony it was immediately cut off. This time he allowed a deep rumble to escape from his chest. Looking to his left Sebastian made quick eye contact with Ciel across the ballroom. Ciel raised his eyebrows in amusement seeing Sebastian's eyes slightly glowing in annoyance. Ciel then returned his attention to Elizabeth and her brother. Sebastian's annoyance continued to rise as a group of older women approached him, and started small talk.

'This is so annoying.' He thought as the middle aged women prodded on and on about useless and uninteresting things. If his temper was better, the conversation would have been refreshing to him. He excused himself from the group and abandoned spying for the moment. As he took a step forward, a blur flew past him. He was frozen for a moment as a delicious sent followed. By the time he opened his eyes he could not tell who it was. He felt the air rush to the right, whoever it was went to the right side of the room. His eyes searched, hungrily. He engulfed the room in his aura, almost desperate to find what that was. He made sure to close his eyes while he did it, giving away his little secret tonight would not adhere to the contract. The men in the room pulled at their ties, and the women found the air thick and unpleasant. Once he heard the first cough Sebastian immediately retracted his aura. He met eyes again with Ciel, who was sending him an extremely harsh look that went along the lines of, 'Are you seriously that stupid?!' Sebastian narrowed his eyes at Ciel. Ciel's eyes closed in annoyance, and he made his way to Sebastian.

"What do you think you are doing?! You are supposed to be observing, not smothering an entire room of elites!" Ciel forced himself to whisper harshly.

Sebastian sighed and collected himself. "I apologize. It seems there is some sort of magic at work again, perhaps its purpose is to expose me."

Ciel scoffed and stomped his foot on the ground. "I did not know I made a contract with such a low-level demon."

Sebastian whipped his head around and glared at his master. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, that is correct. Excuse you. What kind of demon are you to fall prey to silly little spells and magic tricks?!" Ciel's voice was slightly louder.

Sebastian's hands shook with rage from the blow. He bit his lip harshly and let his eyes do the talking.

Ciel rolled his eyes and shooed the demon away. "Search the house for more clues if you cannot control yourself here. If you do feel in danger of exposing the secret, go home. I have more than enough help here."

Sebastian turned on his heel and headed further into the mansion. He wound his way through the manor, attempting to collect himself. Looking to his right he saw a white door, he sensed that no one was in the room so he entered and sat on a bench at the end of a bed. He put his head in his hands and allowed himself to breathe. When he finished calming himself for the most part he decided to observe the room around him. The bed to his back was white and light blue striped. The comforter was soft and full of feathers, he preferred thinner and heavier sheets himself when he had the luxury to sleep. He ran his hand over the sheets and looked around the room. The furniture was all painted white or silver, and it all had a very traditional feel to it. It was a calming room. From the makeup on the vanity he could tell that it was a woman's room, well that on top of everything else. The walls were a cream color, and the flooring was a medium colored wood. He trailed his eyes over the walls and up to the ceiling.

His eyebrows rose in surprise as he saw symbols painted on the ceiling. A white circle with strange runes surrounding it was prominent in the center of the ceiling. If looked at with human eyes it would probably be barely noticeable, even Sebastian had a difficult time viewing it. Sebastian thought of all the runes he and Ceil went through in the occult shops they visited. Ciel ended up buying a few of the books and adding them to his personal library. It was easy to identify a few; they were basic runes from lore dating back to the beginnings of Scotland. Some were said to be used by the witches in the deep forests of Ireland. Many of the other shapes were complex and unrecognizable to him.

Sitting up, he made sure to commit the symbols to memory. He then expanded his senses to the hallway. Once he was sure no one was wandering them, Sebastian exited the room and began to look through the rooms adjacent. The next bedroom seemed to be themed yellow and orange. The furniture was the same as the previous room, except the wood was a rich dark brown with gold accents. The bed sheets looked thin, they were orange with yellow flowers stitched in. Looking around the room he attempted to locate any more symbols, they were not placed as obviously as the previous ones. The only thing he was able to find after fifteen minutes of searching was a love rune carved into the inside of the taller dresser by the door. There was also a simple rune for protection.

'Finally, I am able to make some progress.' He thought. His curiosity from before bubbling up in his chest, his rage from an hour prior was absent from his system.

He turned to exit the room, and managed to shut the door behind him when he heard someone clear their throat. He froze for a second before turning around to a blonde woman.

"Um… Hello... What are you doing in this wing of the Manor?" She asked.

Sebastian rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry Miss…"

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Derval. Aeria Derval. Caretaker of Lady Elizabeth Midford… and you are?"

Sebastian bowed in apology. "My apologies Miss Derval. I am Sebastian Michaelis of the Phantomhive's. I believe we have met before, have we not?"

Aeria tilted her head to the side. "Oh. I suppose we have. I am sorry, you look different in this apparel."

She looked over his black tux with a deep red vest inside. The red of his vest was a few shades darker than his eyes. His hair was slicked back, so it was out of his face. It looked nice on him, well, many things could look nice on him she supposed. It was Sebastian's turn to observe her. Aeria's long blonde hair was curled down to her ankles, with a braid trailing down the back of her head. The fringe and bangs were curled around her face and framed it well. Her dress was a mix of pink and blue. There were sheer sleeves that wrapped around a hidden corset and her arms. They had white and silver flowers sewn into the fabric, so it looked like flowers were naturally bursting from her skin and around her waist. The neckline of her dress was a heart shape of folded pink silk, the flowers cut off the shape around her waist and allowed the fabric to flare out from her body. The fabric colors changed from an even lighter pink, to white, light blue, and dark blue at the bottom. The fabric of the dress shimmered in the light. He could see she was wearing white heels that wrapped around her ankles as ballerina slippers do. Raising his eyebrows suggestively he looked back at her.

"I can say the same of your attire." He smiled and captured her hand in his, kissing the top of it and effectively turning her face to the shade of pink in her dress.

"Enough formalities, let's get you back to the party." She was clearly flustered and unaware of how to proceed in the situation.

Sebastian smiled as he looked her in the eyes. Wine-red meeting ice-blue. Aeria turned on her heel and proceeded to the main hall with Sebastian in tow. He began to formulate plans in his head on how to gather even more information. The pieces he found prior were a good start, but he would not be satisfied until he had a few more. Once they reached the main ballroom Sebastian grabbed a drink off of a platter and offered it to Aeria.

Shaking her head, she rejected the drink. "I apologize, but I do not drink. At least not very often."

Sebastian frowned slightly. "Well that is unfortunate." He returned the drink to a platter being carried by another servant. He would have to think of another way to get her to spill secrets.

The two stood side by side, observing the crowd for a few moments before Sebastian spoke up.

"I would like to learn more about you."

Aeria turned her head to him, obviously surprised. "Why is that?"

Sebastian shrugged. "I suppose it is because you are the servant of my Master's beloved. In order for me to assure his happiness I would like to learn more about you and how you take care of Lady Elizabeth."

Nodding her head, she turned her attention back to the crowd, thinking where to start. "That does make sense. I suppose I would like to know more of you as well in that case. Elizabeth cares deeply for Ciel, it would break her heart if anything were to happen to him. I am interested in how our Master's differ as well."

Sebastian guided her over to a table near the windows. They both sat in white metal chairs seated around a small round glass table. Sebastian folded his hands and placed his chin in the center of them, meeting her eyes and awaiting her story. Aeria smiled slightly, he did not seem like the formal person Paula described at the moment.

"How would you like me to begin?" Folding her hands, she mimicked his pose, staring back at him with the same intensity.

Sebastian thought for a moment. He was not quite sure what he wanted to hear. Sure he wanted to know what Oscar was, and if she was anything like him, but he did not want it to feel like that was his goal. He had to be crafty with this conversation, she was already suspicious enough finding him in rooms away from the party. He was thankful his teasing confused her enough not to ask questions about his behavior.

"Hmm… How about your start?"

"My start?" She asked, needing clarification.

Sebastian merely nodded, not responding.

"Hmm… are you asking of my birth? Or my start with Miss Elizabeth?" Tilting her head to the side in thought she looked back at him.

"Either is fine with me, we have all night, if you wish." His stare grew heavier in order to fluster her.

 _'_ _She can take that comment any way she wants. I_ _ **wil**_ l _get information from her.'_ Sebastian thought as he stared into her wavering eyes.

Aeria tapped her chin in thought. "I suppose I can start with Lady Elizabeth. Well… The Marchioness and Marquis."

Sebastian nodded for her to continue.

She leaned back in her chair, taking her head from her hands. Sebastian did the same as she began to talk, but never taking his eyes from her.

"Oscar and I were promised a good and safe home. The paperwork took a while, but after a few months we were officially put into the care of the Midford estate. In return for our housing and safety, we were required to protect and serve the manor and its inhabitants. For years we were taught the art of fencing. We endured thousands of hours and days of schooling, learning everything there was to learn. We were required to memorize the entire estate, whether we were able to see it or not. We are still young and still have much to learn. Throughout the years we were mentored by many individuals. Writers, poets, musicians, historians, mathematicians, head maids, head butlers, chefs, and even the Marquis and Marchioness themselves at times. It was not always easy, the Midford family has had its share of issues and tragedies, but that never stopped us. We worked hard to earn the acceptance of Sir Alexis and Madame Francis. It was much easier to earn the respect and acceptance of Lady Elizabeth and the other servants. In a way we grew up with Lady Elizabeth, it may not have been our whole lives but it has been hers so far. It is a much closer bond than it should be between servants and their master, I will admit that. I do not regret it though; I will easily lay my life down on the line for Milady. I will for anyone within this household. I also promise to protect what is dear to Milady, so in a sense I suppose I will protect Lord Phantomhive if the need ever arises."

Sebastian nodded, taking in the information. It was not what he wanted but it was refreshing to see such dedication. It was also good to note she cared for Ciel as well.

"I applaud you for your dedication to the Midford's. That is not something you see very often." Sebastian commented.

Aeria sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "I suppose. They are my family; it is not a feeling I can change within myself."

Sebastian paused a moment before responding. "Do you know anything of blood relations? Is there anyone related to you or Oscar that you know of?"

Aeria looked back at him, a distant and sad look on her face. "No. I was never told that I had any. I do not think that would matter though, blood relations do not mean much in the end. What matters in the end is the connection you feel to someone, blood is not the only thing that can make a family."

Sebastian nodded in agreement. "That is a sweet and inspiring thing to say."

Aeria blushed slightly. "Thank you."

Sebastian kept his face blank. There was nothing he could call her out on, nothing she said so far rivaled the information she gave at the Phantomhive Estate earlier in the week. He needed to dig deeper, but now was not the time. He observed the area surrounding them, the party was still in full swing, and the guests seemed to have more of a sway in their step. The platters the servers were carrying seemed to have less and less alcohol by the second. She was not going to easily open up to him, even though she was his best bet between the mystery siblings.

 _'_ _I suppose I will just have to get her to trust me.'_ He thought as he stood up.

The band began to play another song, couples lined up on the dancefloor, and children spun in circles with each other. Looking down at her, Sebastian offered his hand.

"Would you care to dance?" He asked.

Aeria blushed slightly and stared at the ground. "I really should get back to my duties."

"What more to look the part, than to partake in the events?" Sebastian attempted to sway her decision.

She thought about it for a moment, looking into the crowd. After a few moments of thought she accepted his hand. Sebastian led her to the near center of the dance floor. Taking the standard positions, the two began to sway casually along to the music. They were silent as they stared at each other. Occasionally they would break their stares to glance at the other guests around them, they did have a job to do after all. Unbeknownst to them, they were the center of a triad of gazes. From the north west corner of the room Elizabeth watched the two servants sway with a smile on her face. In the east corner of the room near the windows, Ciel stood with his arms folded, a stern look on his face. In the south near the stairs, Oscar watched the two curiously, suspicion arising in his thoughts.

Sebastian returned his gaze to her, a serious expression taking over. Nothing would stop his curiosity of the creature before him, or her brother. Things were becoming even more interesting for him as Undertaker wove his way into the situation. This was not something Sebastian would easily forget, and he knew his Master burned with a similar curiosity. He stared at the girl before him, little did she know what she was getting into, little did she know she was even involved. The monster before her had his claws dug in, and he was not letting go anytime soon. This dance was the first of many encounters they would share; Sebastian knew it deep down. This dance was a sign of the danger to come.

* * *

Aeria's Dress- writeallthestories. tumblr post/ 157947664551/ the-dress -from-a-dangerous-dance


	8. What Did You Say?

Lady Elizabeth danced into the center of the ballroom. She had just seen the last of the guests off. It had been a marvelous evening of dancing and conversation. She was able to spend the entire night with her dear Ciel, talking, laughing, and she even convinced him to dance once! Of course it was not in the center of the room, but off to the far side where he felt he would not be judged. She giggled as Ciel shyly guided her to the edge of the room and offered his hand to her. He was flustered the entire time, it was a refreshing and adorable sight to her. But enough of her perfect evening, it was time to start cleaning the manor. The Marquis and Marchioness had retired for the night a few minutes prior, and Elizabeth stayed in the main room to assist her servants in the clean-up endeavors. It was important for a woman to learn how to clean, but it was also considered insulting in the high society to have a Lady clean. Elizabeth shook her head at the double standards, why couldn't anything be simple?

Within the hour the main ballroom was scrubbed down, it was amazing how little the amount of alcohol glasses could hold, and how much of it ended up on the floor. Elizabeth began to yawn and nod off as soon as everyone moved onto the foyer, she decided it was best for her to retire as well, she was still tired from the party planning earlier in the week. Aeria excused herself from her work on the entrance and followed Elizabeth to her room.

"Soo…" Elizabeth drawled as she changed into her night clothes.

"So?" Aeria responded, confused.

Elizabeth turned and grinned at her. "I saw you share a dance with Sebastian."

Aeria flushed as she pulled the night gown over Elizabeth's head. "A dance is nothing important."

Elizabeth grinned and leaned closer. "Uh-huh…"

Aeria tapped her Lady on the nose. "Refrain from condensing your mind with lewd thoughts."

Elizabeth giggled. "I was not thinking anything of the sort."

Aeria rolled her eyes and sat in the chair opposite from her Lady's bed. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

Elizabeth giggled and laid on her bed, facing Aeria with her chin in her hands. "What were you talking about with him? What did you say?"

Aeria shrugged. "We both agreed that it would be beneficial to get to know each other more, and learn more about how each servant takes care of their respective Master's."

Elizabeth blew air from her mouth in slight frustration. "That's not at all what I had in mind, it's sort of boring."

Aeria giggled. "Well I apologize in worrying about your well-being. I would like to learn more from Sebastian on how to be a proficient servant, and I would also like to understand Lord Ciel. Since he is important to you, he is important to me as well. Additionally, what if he is in my presence, something goes wrong, and none of his servants are present?"

Elizabeth whined and rolled over. "You worry too much, Aeria. Although I do appreciate your concern for both of us. I do believe it would be good for you to understand the ways of Phantomhive Manor, I would like to learn more myself actually. Sebastian would be your best source for information, being the head butler and all."

Aeria nodded. "I was thinking the same thing."

Elizabeth rolled back over to face Aeria. "I want you and Oscar to become friends with the Phantomhive servants, they need some more company from time to time. Ciel deals with such dreary missions from the Queen, I would like more fun in his life. I am sure his servants need more fun as well."

Elizabeth smiled and looked at Aeria. "What are your thoughts on Sebastian?"

Shrugging, Aeria looked out the window into the dark night. "I agree his manner is mostly formal… but there was a moment where he seemed very casual. He asked me about my past, he did not care where I started, so I began with arriving at this Manor."

Elizabeth let her face drop a bit. "Did he ask about your caretaker previously? Did you talk about Undertaker?"

Aeria shook her head. "I do not wish to discuss my father to others outside of this household, it is too dangerous considering the work he is involved in. I do not wish to be targeted as a weakness for him, and by the way I do appreciate you and the Marchioness for sending him an invitation."

Elizabeth smiled once more. "You are welcome, you and Oscar seemed dreary for the past couple weeks, I thought that would cheer you up."

Aeria smiled. "It really helped, thank you." With that Aeria stood and shut the curtains. "We can continue this conversation once you have rested, you did not sleep much the other night."

Elizabeth groaned and cuddled into her sheets. "Fiiinneee…."

Aeria smiled and turned down the flame in the bedside lamp. "Rest well, Milady. Sweet dreams."

Elizabeth made a tired grunt in reply as Aeria left the room to continue cleaning the manor, unlike her Lady she would not have a lot of sleep tonight.

* * *

Ciel grumbled as he climbed up the steps of the Phantomhive Manor to the main door. Sebastian opened the door and allowed the rest of the party to enter. Mey-Rin, Finny, and Bard collapsed into a pile upon each other once they entered. They were exhausted between the alcohol and dancing. Tanaka assisted Ciel out of his jacket and then headed to his own room, slightly wobbling here and there from the champagne. Ciel turned his head to the left and looked at the butler closing the doors behind them.

Sebastian turned to look at his master, and tilted his head to the side. "What seems to be the matter, young Master?"

Ciel sighed and looked at the pile of servants on the floor. "You may retire for the night."

Mey-Rin sighed and wobbled with Finny out of the room. "Thank god! I need to take these shoes off."

Finny nodded in agreement, and Bard removed his own shirt altogether, making his way to his room.

Sebastian followed Ciel to his bedroom, and assisted him into his nightclothes.

"I saw you dancing with the female maid." Ciel stated as he stared out the window in thought.

Sebastian nodded as he removed Ciel's shoes. "You are correct."

Ciel brought his attention to his butler. "What did you two talk about? What did you say?"

Sebastian sighed and placed the nightshirt over Ciel's head. "Unfortunately I did not gather the information I wished. I did, however, gather simple details of their entry to the Midford's."

Ciel sighed in frustration, he was not the most patient person in the world when it came to not knowing things. He demanded information immediately, and he was frustrated Sebastian was not gathering it as quickly as he normally could. He was usually spoiled with Sebastian's gathering skills, so when it took a typical amount of time to gather information, Ciel grew bored and frustrated quickly.

Sebastian understood his Master's sigh. "It was not in vein, as I gathered some information."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Does that information conclude their species? Or whatever they are?"

Sebastian sighed once more, frustrated with the slow progress himself. Like Ciel, he was impatient at times. "No… it does not help with that issue. But we have agreed to talk more, and the more opportunities I have to talk with her, the more opportunities I have to figure this out."

Ciel cocked an eyebrow at him. "Talk more?"

Nodding, Sebastian continued his explanation. "Yes. We have agreed it would be in the best interest of both our households if Miss Derval, that is her last name as I found out this evening, and myself learn the schedules and care procedures of the other Manor."

Ciel shook his head. "How is that going to give us information about them?"

Sebastian took his seat across from Ciel's bed once more, staring into the night out the window. "It will be a start. Once I learn their typical functions and grow a trust between us, I will slowly demand more information. I assure you this mystery will be solved by the end of the year."

Ciel grunted in frustration. "You know as well as I do that neither of us have that amount of patience. I am giving you six months to solve this mystery, not a day more."

Sebastian closed his eyes and grimaced. "My Lord, you have to understand they are guarded, earning their trust will not be that simple and requires more time than that of a human. I am able to deduct this information at least."

Ciel repeated himself. "Six months, not a day more."

On that note Sebastian stood, dimmed the lamp light, and exited Ciel's room once dismissed.


	9. Surprise

Oscar sighed as he threw a saddle onto a hook on the wall. It had been a long morning. The ball they hosted was two weeks prior, yesterday the staff was given a day to rest since the party was such a success. There was even a story about it in the paper this morning. Marchioness Francis was more than delighted, even if her face did not show it that much. She spoke nothing but praise when commenting on the work of the servants this morning. It was not often they received praise from her, mostly it was a bleak acceptance of their work or a straight up rejection. Oscar turned to throw his pitchfork back into the stack of hay in the corner. As soon as it left his hand, the pitchfork was grabbed by another. Oscar's heart skipped a beat in fear as he almost saw it collide with a pale figure laying amidst the hay. He recovered quickly once he saw who it was.

"Well, that could have been bad." A blonde figure sighed as he moved his eyes to Oscar.

Oscar rolled his eyes back at the figure. "What a shame if it impaled."

Clutching his hand to his chest in fake pain, Ronald Knox stood up from the straw. "You wound me, love."

Oscar rolled his eyes yet again. "Don't call me that."

Ronald snickered and brushed himself off. "I believe it would be better coming from me than Grell, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose so…" Oscar began to brush the blonde mare in the stall next to Ronald.

Taking a seat on the fence, Knox stared at Oscar as he brushed. Eventually he jumped in and began to brush the other side. Oscar seemed to not enjoy the situation, but the mare reacted oppositely. She enjoyed the attention very much. Whinnying, she threw her mane back into the air to show off it seemed. Oscar chuckled and petted her.

"Calm down girl. Don't get carried away." She gave a short breath to his face, as to say 'why not'.

"So you'll give her attention and not me?" Ronald mused once again as he poked his head over her side to look at Oscar.

Oscar nodded and threw a brush at him. "She understands me more."

"She can't even talk!" Knox yelped.

"She doesn't need to, I can see it in her eyes and body language." Oscar swept the hair and extra straw out of her stall and made his way towards the manor.

"She's a horse!" The blonde chased after the brunette.

"And you're an ass." Oscar shot back.

Ronald shook his head in annoyance. "I visit you on my only day off this week, to be greeted with such hostility?!"

Opening the back door to the kitchens Oscar sighed. "You didn't have to visit you know."

Pausing to look at him, Ronald put his hand over Oscar's on the door. "Well… I wanted too."

Grey and green eyes bore into each other, which Oscar ended abruptly, shoving his way into the kitchens. Ronald sighed in frustration and followed him inside.

"What are you going to make me to eat today?" Ronald smiled as he sat on the kitchen table.

Oscar's eye twitched as he looked over at the reaper. He chose to sit ON the TABLE. Not any of the chairs literally surrounding it.

"Maybe you could help me today, instead of sitting around like usual." Oscar mumbled as he pulled out ingredients.

Ronald raised his eyebrow and frowned, something was up with Oscar, he knew it. Making his way over to the counter, he placed one of his hands on Oscar's shoulder. Of course immediately he felt Oscar tense up and lean away from his touch. This only made the reaper frown more, he was honestly worried, and he never worried much.

"Hey…" He started softly, not wanting to scare him away.

Oscar began to frantically chop onions on the block.

"Something's wrong…" He continued.

Oscar shook his head in response.

"Hey, tell me what's going on." Ronald poked Oscar's cheek, hoping he would turn his gaze to him.

Oscar paused chopping the onions, and stared at the blonde. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, trying to figure out what to say. This only worried Ronald even more. He carefully removed the knife from Oscar's hand, placing it on the block. He then wrapped his arms around the thinking man. Ronald even felt him shaking slightly.

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to… but you're really worrying me." He whispered into the crook of his neck.

Oscar waited a moment before returning the gesture. "I…"

Ronald hugged him tighter, begging him to continue.

Sighing, Oscar looked at him. "There's a demon interested in me and my sister."

Ronald's eyes widened, and he stared at Oscar in shock. "… Seriously?"

Oscar nodded and leaned into him. "This is not something I would joke about."

Nodding, Ronald looked Oscar in the eyes. "I'm going to find out who it is, and stop it."

Ronald frowned as Oscar shook his head and removed himself from the reaper's grip.

"Dad knows who it is, but he can't say. Whoever it is must be powerful if he doesn't want us to know."

Stepping away, Ronald leaned against the counter as Oscar put the onions into a bowl, and then started to chop celery.

"What does Aeria think?"

Oscar shook his head again, focusing intensely on the vegetables in front of him. "She doesn't know."

The reaper's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Why not? It affects her too."

Shrugging Oscar placed the chopped celery into a bowl. "Don't know why he won't tell her. I'm not going to say anything until he tells me to, I'm sure he has his reasons. Honestly I'm not sure I would want to know what they are, they're probably serious."

"Well… I suppose… I mean I can still keep a lookout on nights while I'm doing patrol. I'm sure William will let me stray from my path a bit. If a dem-"

He was cut off by the kitchen door swinging open. Aeria made her way across the floor to them. Tilting her head, she looked at Ronald. "Dem-what?"

"Demi-gods. We're talking about how many offspring Zeus fathered to humans. Ronald guessed forty-two, it's obviously much more though." Oscar responded within a beat. Ronald looked over at him, clearly impressed.

Aeria hummed in thought. "I wouldn't know the answer to that. But I do know that we need to prepare a few dishes, company arrived suddenly."

Oscar groaned and grabbed even more ingredients, Ronald joined and began to prepare the food. Aeria smiled and recognized what dish Oscar was making, it was one of her favorites.

"Who is it?" Oscar asked.

"Lord Phantomhive and Sebastian." She replied as she began to measure ingredients for a thick gravy.

"Shit!" Ronald cried as he stared down at his red finger. He was too distracted with the news that he cut it.

Oscar immediately grabbed a wet towel and wrapped it around his finger. "It doesn't look deep, Aeria go grab bandages."

Nodding, she ran from the room.

Oscar frowned and looked at the reaper, "Watch what you're doing, idiot."

Swallowing nervously Ronald stared at the floor, trying to cover up his shock. He couldn't tell them that Sebastian was a demon, and he knew that Sebastian was a good possibility of who was observing them. Sure if he was a low level demon it would not be an issue, but it was a rule reapers and demons were not allowed to expose each other's identities. If he was a low level roamer the reapers would have made quick work of him. But he was an ancient most likely, and involved in an active contract. They legally couldn't do anything.

Oscar poked his nose in concern. "What's wrong?"

Ronald sighed and looked at him. "Nothing, why?"

Eyebrows risen in disbelief, Oscar stared at him. "You didn't make a witty comeback like usual."

Ronald grinned. "Would you like me to say that I was distracted by you?"

Oscar groaned and grimaced at the eyebrow-waggling reaper before him. "I guess that sounds like you."

Aeria reappeared in the kitchen with bandages and alcohol for the cut. Oscar dabbed the alcohol onto his finger, and wrapped it in a bandage. Aeria threw them out of the kitchen and started to finish dinner, as it should be served shortly. Oscar and Ronald retreated to one of the many miniature libraries throughout the manor. They made their way to the back of the room, hidden by bookshelves, and sat next to each other.

"It's good to see you." Oscar said after a few minutes of silence.

Ronald smiled over at him, "I'm glad to be here."

He immediately interlocked his good hand with Oscar's. The taller man's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to free his hand, but the shorter blonde did not allow it. It had been awhile since they were able to see each other. Oscar soon gave up his struggle, and stared at the reaper, defeated. Ronald grinned and put his forehead to Oscar's.

* * *

"What is all of this?" A deep voice asked from the corner of the kitchen as Aeria began to plate dinner.

Aeria smiled slightly as she brought a platter to the kitchen door. "I know you ate prior, but it would not be proper to not offer dinner."

Sebastian cocked an eyebrow as he smelled the bowls in front of him. He had to admit, they smelled pretty good. He offered to assist her, but she refused, bringing the plates to the casual dining table in the next room over. She placed a bowl on a saucer in front of Ciel and one in front of Elizabeth.

"It's not a hearty meal, but I believe it will do for tonight. Chicken pot pie with fresh vegetable and herbs from our garden out back, and fresh meat from the market this morning. I seasoned the chicken with an herb rub before cooking it with the rest of the dish. I also used a Midford family recipe for the crust and gravy. I hope you enjoy." Aeria clapped her hands together in conclusion with a smile on her face.

Ciel looked up to her. "It smells delicious, thank you for the meal."

Elizabeth gave her a smile and a giggle, effectively dismissing Aeria as the young nobles began to eat. Aeria made her way back to the kitchen, breaking a serving in half for herself. She began to eat at the servant's table as Sebastian took the seat opposite of her.

"Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, I am aware you are not fond of eating in front of others, I can leave if you would like." She said between mouthfuls of food.

Sebastian raised his eyebrow once again. "What do you mean by that?"

Aeria shrugged. "I just never see you eat in front of people. I know it makes some people nervous, but if you need to eat by all means do not let me stop you."

She stood up, and retrieved the other serving of food, placing it before him. Sebastian chuckled.

"I do not have a fear of eating in public… I simply do not eat that often I suppose."

Aeria stared at him, shaking her fork in his direction. "That's not good. If you don't eat, you'll die."

Sebastian was amused once again by her blunt way of speaking. "Yes, I do suppose that is how it works."

She continued to eat, and Sebastian continued to observe her. She wore a long pink chiffon dress, with her hair tied up into a ponytail. Her hair seemed to have a slight natural curl, and it seemed shorter than last time.

"Has your hair been cut since the last time we've met?" He asked.

She nodded, cleaning up her dishes and shaking her ponytail a bit. It now reached her waist instead of the floor. It made movement a lot easier and took a lot of weight off of her head. Her hair grew too fast for it to be cut short, it would be to her waist within a week, and typical hair did not grow that fast.

"My hair grows fast, so I can afford to cut it every few weeks." She responded as she wrapped Oscar's serving of the meal and put it away for him.

"Interesting…" A voice came from directly behind her.

Aeria jumped in her spot as she felt breathing on her neck. Hands were gently placed on the countertop of either side of her. She stared down at them as her heart began to hammer faster. She felt the warmth of a body directly behind her. Looking slightly to her left she saw one of the hands brush its way through her hair, bringing it to a pale nose. She felt the air shift as Sebastian breathed in her scent, she desperately fought her cheeks from flushing. Apparently it did not work quite as well as she had hoped.

"…It was you…"

Aeria's heart beat even faster. "E-Excuse me?"

Turning around she pressed her back into the counter, attempting to put any sort of distance between them. She wasn't sure she quite heard him right, or if he said anything at all honestly. Her head was spinning for some reason, she felt overpowered somehow. Looking into the deep wine-red eyes only made it worse. She felt a strange pull, both towards him and to run at the same time. Moving her hands, she accidentally brushed against one of his. Her face flushed, and she felt all of the muscles in his body tense immediately.

"S-Sebastian?" She asked, clearly frightened.

Within the blink of an eye he was standing behind the dining table, hand gripped on the back of a chair. She took a step towards him, and extended one of her hands. She kept her eyes trained on him, she felt like she was approaching a wild animal for some reason. Aeria opened her mouth to call out his name again, but another voice interrupted her.

"Sebastian! I believe it is time we take our leave for the night." Ciel called from beyond the kitchen door.

With a quick bow Sebastian fled the room within a second, leaving Aeria with so many questions.

* * *

Ha, did you expect that? Oscar? I hope not. I like surprising people. I try to update once a week, so do not fret dear reader(s). :)


	10. Intoxicating

The door slammed, echoing throughout the entire manor. It swung slightly off its hinges as he stormed into his room. The entire ride did not calm him down. It was very abnormal for him to succumb to his senses and instincts. He breathed in the stale air, running his hand continuously through his hair in frustration. The more he breathed in, the more he thought about her. The air surrounding him only made him crave her scent more. Roses and vanilla. He inhaled, allowing his imagination to return the precious scent to him. He forced himself to sit on the edge of his bed, and began to think logically. The only reason he was craving her is because he had not mated in a long time. That had to be it. There was no other connection he felt. Sure, she was an intellectual. She had an admirable amount of common sense and problem-solving capabilities. That could also be himself comparing her to Mey-Rin, the typical female interaction in his life presently. Aeria was a devoted servant, another admiration. There was nothing special about the girl. She was as typical as they came.

"Merow!" A muted yell came from inside the wide wardrobe.

Sebastian smiled and made his way to it, opening the dresser drawers to reveal a beautiful brown Maine-coon. It looked up at its 'human', and stepped out of the closet. Her amber eyes settled onto the bed, where she promptly trotted to, and jumped. Turning to the bed he allowed the cat to rub her head against his arm. Before he sat on his bed, he removed his jacket, vest, and gloves.

"Meeeooorrrwww!" She beckoned his attention.

He chuckled as he sat onto his bed, removing his shoes and laying down. The young kitten seemed elated, and began to rub her whiskers against his hands.

"You have always been one for the spotlight, little tiger."

"Meow!" She purred.

He sighed as he began to scratch her ears. "I am perplexed, tiny one."

Her eyes met his, she was listening.

"I am making no progress on a personal matter of mine. The longer it continues, and the more I figure out, the more confused I become."

"Meerr?"

"Yes, I am frustrated. I apologize if I frightened you with the door earlier."

"Meow."

"What would you do, if someone was to drive you mad?"

" _Hissss!"_

He chuckled in response. "I currently identify with that."

Curling up into a ball the cat cuddled into his side. Sebastian sighed and allowed the kitten to fall asleep against him. He thought about how long it had been since he had slept. He probably should, perhaps it would do his body good. It was not necessary of course, but it typically assisted healing and concentration in demons. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to shut down his senses, imagining throwing himself into a dark void. His mind numbed slightly, and then he was finally asleep.

The door to the room shifted slightly as a blue eye stared through a crack near the dislocated hinges. It had been such a long time since Sebastian had slept, Ciel didn't even know if he had slept since the contract had been initiated. Ciel turned on his heel and walked down the hallway towards his own chambers. He would have Sebastian's head if his breakfast was not prepared on time.

* * *

Ciel scrapped his fork against the small plate. His eyes darted to Sebastian, sitting at the chair across from his desk in the study. Ciel narrowed his eyes, the area under Sebastian's eyes looked less dark. Not that they were ever that dark, there were barely any imperfections on the man's body. But over the years he noticed a grey take place there. Sebastian turned his gaze to the boy.

"Is something the matter, young master?" He tilted his head slightly, like a cat.

Ciel shook his head. "No. I was just observing. It seems a night of sleep cleared the area's around your eyes. If you were that tired, sleep every few months at least. I can't have my butler failing me or looking suspicious due to sleep deprivation."

Sebastian sat back in his chair. "My Lord, as I have told you, I do not require sleep."

"I am aware. All I am saying, is that your body must need it somehow if it improved marks on your face."

"I do not believe sleep would have anything to do with that, but I suppose I can afford to sleep once every few months."

Raising his eyebrows Ciel sat back into his chair as well. "What else could have improved the look of your face."

Sebastian scoffed at the boy's wording. There was nothing wrong with his face. "I am unaware of what it could be."

Ciel pushed aside his breakfast plate and buried himself into paperwork, pushing his curiosity to the side for the moment. He began to fill out basic forms and responses to letters of business.

"Have you found out anything?" Ciel asked as he placed his signature on a line.

Sebastian simply shook his head.

"Hmm… I know something happened. What I felt yesterday was nothing slight." The boy commented, glancing at the demon.

Sebastian sighed. "It was nothing important pertaining to the case."

Ciel narrowed his eyes. "What was it then?"

"A simple reaction from my instincts."

Ciel huffed and gave up. He was not going to get anything out of him today. He was very interested in what could have made Sebastian react very strongly. Lately it appears he has not been in check with himself. Something was interfering with him, and even Sebastian did not know what it was.

* * *

Aeria wiped her brow as she finished the last stall of the barn. She assisted Oscar in his chores for the day since she finished hers earlier in the day. The Marchioness and Marquis were in town with Paula and Elizabeth, so the servants had the manor to themselves today. It was a relaxing day once everything was done. Once they finished their chores Oscar and Aeria bathed, dressed, and proceeded outside for a walk.

"How are things going?" Aeria asked as she nudged her brother.

Oscar shrugged. "As normal as ever."

Aeria sighed. "You are hopeless."

"I'd like to think not…" He trailed off sheepishly.

"Oh? So, have you two progressed?" Her hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips.

He groaned quietly but nodded.

Aeria's face lit up with a knowing smirk. "Soooo?"

Oscar glared over at her, "What?"

He rolled his eyes as she simply moved her face closer to his, the smugness growing every second.

"Care to elaborate?"

He might as well get it over with. "We kissed."

Immediately regretting his choice, he was forced to cover his ears as a banshee shriek erupted from the girl beside him. He knew she would be excited, she always butted into his love life. But he could say that same was true if the situation were reversed. He knew she approved of Ronald, she approved of all reapers.

He raised his eyebrows in return. "Have you progressed as well?"

A slight blush overtook her features, and effectively knocked the smirk off her face. "No. Why would I? William is nothing more than a friend."

Shrugging he continued to walk. "I just happen to know he admires various traits of yours. Work ethic, cooking skills, knowledge, compassion, body."

Grinning he saw her face flush deeper. "You stop that, he thinks nothing of the sort. The only thing he loves is his work and accomplishing it without overtime."

"Is that so?" His arms folded behind his head in an accomplished manner.

She stared at him and furiously nodded.

"I would beg to differ with that~!" He hummed as they advanced through the woods.

"I'm sure you would!" She replied as she stomped along behind him.

They continued their walk, greeting other servants throughout the path. It was a common trail that the servants of the Midford manor took on leisure days. The Marchioness made sure the servants understood that day's off should not entirely take place relaxing inside. It was important for them to enjoy nature, or go into town and observe everyone and see how many people the Midford's protected. It was a humbling sight that grounded many of the servants, to stroll through town and see just how many people relied on the Midford's and Phantomhive's to keep crime at bay. They were two very important families that often crossed each-other's path. They were the protectors of the Queen's precious England.

"Oscar!" A higher voice called from behind, quickly advancing towards him.

Turning around Oscar saw one of the younger servants advancing, he was typically used for relaying messages. Sure enough, there was a white envelope with a red seal in his hand. Finally reaching the older servant, the boy stuck out his hand with the envelope. Oscar thanked him and accepted, tucking the letter away into one of his pockets. The young boy wished him a good day and then turned on his heels beginning to sprint down the trail once more.

Oscar sighed as he took suit, turning on his heel he began to walk towards the Manor once more. Aeria followed him close behind. It was improper to read any order send by the queen outside of the family study. It was to be read by Oscar, memorized, and reported to the Marquis. That was how the procedure went. He hoped that this mission would be a less gruesome one, it was typically Aeria and himself who followed the orders. It seemed that the Queen had a soft spot for them, as she did for the nobles of the Midford estate.


	11. Change of Seasons, New Cases

Ciel sighed as he exited the carriage. It was a particularly boring day so far. Children began to run past him, laughing and screaming in joy. He immediately cringed. _'What noisy little things.'_ The thought passed through his mind as they all yelled in unison over a bug of some sort. Nevertheless, he continued his way down the cobblestone streets. Looking up to the sky he stared at finches flying from tree branch to tree branch. It was a Tuesday by his calculations. His previous week had passed so quickly he could barely remember what happened on which day. It was all a blur of blood, paperwork, and alleyways. Of course, that was nothing out of the usual for the Phantomhive household. He had not heard from the Queen this month so far, and it was making him antsy. He supposed that was a good thing, nothing seemed to be bothering her or the country currently. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Ciel reassured himself that it was okay. He was just stressed over not having a constant flow of work at the moment, that had to be it.

A butterfly landed on his left shoulder as he walked. He paid it no attention other than a glance and a thought. The flowers overflowing from the white fences were in full bloom, spring was to come to an end soon, and he wanted to see the flowers before they died and summer ones took their place. Continuing his way down the street, he observed the locals. It was morning and the elderly were walking around the town. The children from before wandered in and out of his view now and then. Ciel allowed his mind to wander, eventually it ended up focusing on the people within his life.

Tanaka had been the only one to truly know the Phantomhive's. Sebastian, of course, learned the history. That was not the same as being one though. Tanaka was the closest thing he had to a parental figure, especially after Madame Red died. Ciel and Sebastian both respected the older man, and often went to him for advice to this day.

Then there was Sebastian. The word many others would use to describe him would be… perfect. Ciel wouldn't argue that he was certainly the most capable servant in the manor, but Ciel saw him as arrogant and annoying for the most part. Sure, he had a 'perfect face', but Ciel was one of a small group over history that had seen Sebastian for what he truly was.

The trio Sebastian recruited were easily described as a headache. The only benefit they served were their skills in defending the manor. Finnian somehow constantly managed to kill every flower in the gardens, Mey-Rin broke anything by even glancing at it, and Baldroy's personal motto seemed to be 'find a way to cook everything in the most dangerous and explosive way possible'.

Ciel was thankful Sebastian somehow managed to correct the mistakes form the other servants. Of course, Sebastian never slept, or else the manor would most likely be in shambles. He would never admit to Sebastian that he admired his work ethic though. Not that he cared about Sebastian, but he felt a sense of relief when he walked in on Sebastian sleeping last week. The logic side of himself thought of how agonizing it would be for himself not to sleep for months on end. Of course, he knew Sebastian could physically handle much more than the average human.

Ciel's thoughts faded into quiet as he reached the end of the street he was following. Turning to his left, he followed the cobblestone street into a busier section of the shopping district. A quick motion of pink caught his attention. It turned into a shop, from which a scream of joy erupted. Elizabeth and Aeria must have business there, as the scream was certainly his fiancée's. Shrugging, he carried on his leisurely way. Elizabeth would have enjoyed an encounter with him, but her screaming would have only disturbed his peace and caused a headache.

He continued his aimless wandering until he came across a bench in a less busy part of the main park. As he sat down, he observed the area around him. A family passed him moments later. There were four children of varying ages from toddler to teenager. The parents looked close to middle ages, their hair was beginning to grey and creases were forming on their faces. A sudden unexplainable pang went through his chest as two thoughts formed.

The first was of his parents. If they were still alive… would he be a part of a family like the one before him? Would he have had younger siblings he would look after? A sudden wave of manifested protectiveness washed through his body. It calmed as he thought of his parents. His eyes stung as he continued to think, he would be fine with any family formation if it just meant that his parents were alive.

The second thought overtook him as that initial pang returned… would he himself ever be able to have a family like that? He imagined himself in the future, arm-and-arm with Lizzie as they walked through the park with three children of similarly varied ages. His black hair stained with occasional streaks of grey, Lizzie would not be so apparent with her being blonde and all. It was just them, just a happy family. A sudden shadow overtook his thoughts as a pang resonated from behind his eye patch. Ciel narrowed his eyes in anger as a 'tsking' voice softly surrounded his conscious, followed by a voice.

"Don't go soft on me now, young master."

His voice was harsh and mocking. Ciel growled and shook off the comment. Emptying his mind, he focused his attention back onto the flowers. Sebastian certainly derailed some of Ciel's future plans. Well, not at the time of making the contract. The only thing driving his mind at the time was torture ad a desperation to escape. Thoughts of a family were not on the list of his priorities at the time. But he had to admit, the older he grew, the more surprising thoughts entered his mind. He would never admit it aloud, but he found himself caring about Elizabeth more each year. He could see their wedding and actually feel emotions other than indifference. He had to make sure he did not dwell on those emotions for long though, his fate was already sealed. All he could hope for was that Elizabeth would be able to move on. Shaking his head yet again, he stood up and decided his day out had some mostly to an end. He headed to the shops and bought some items with Finnian before heading back to the manor.

* * *

The manor was still. The day had been strangely silent. A gloom overcame the mansion as the dreary rain fell. Sebastian was absorbed in his thoughts as he stared out the window. Ciel sighed as he pulled his eyes from his book. He was getting nowhere; his current level of progress was far more than infuriating.

"There's been nothing for weeks!"

Ciel yelled as he threw a book to the ground. Sebastian glanced over at the infuriated noble.

"Do not stress yourself so much."

Ciel's eyes narrowed at his servant's reply.

"I will do whatever I please!"

"Doing whatever you please will not help you in life when patience is the only answer."

"The answers I seek are the only answers I deserve!"

Ciel threw himself back into his study chair, eyes glaring daggers into his suspiciously silent servant. This has been the first time he spoke this morning other than serving Ciel breakfast before his departure to Aynor in mid-morning. It was early evening currently, the sun would begin to set in just a few hours.

"Speak your thoughts. What are your plans on finally finishing this matter?"

Ciel demanded answers from Sebastian, he was tired of the demon just sitting there and planning what to do. Usually he was more of a man of action. This is one of the only times he had simply sat so restlessly while on a case.

"These are not simply humans. This is not a case we can easily carry out. Who knows what could happen should we anger them. If they somehow figure out my true nature think of what supernatural wars could be started. All of humanity could suffer from our actions, and that would greatly upset your precious queen."

Ciel growled loudly as Sebastian explained his thoughts. He was treating Ciel like a child, and he would not stand for that.

"I am not a simple child! You know what I have been through, I have been through more than men four times my age might experience within a lifetime, perhaps even more!"

Sebastian's attention focused solely on the boy before him.

"You know I treat you more of a man than anyone. But this is different. These are issues of my kind that you have no knowledge of or experience with. So, to me, yes you are a child with these matters. If anything, this is more my case than it is yours. Yes, your Lady is involved, but the importance lies with the fact that a supernatural species is within your presence. I will not rest until I figure out who and what they are, and what threat they can be to you. You are my master; we are bound by contract. Any threat is a threat to me, no matter how small. You must be forgetting how protective demons are of things that are theirs. I will not allow a single threat to look at you, much less develop an idea that they can steal my long-awaited meal from right out under my nose. And if they happen to not be a threat, then there should be no issue other than boundary reinforcements. Even if they are peaceful and have no interest, I will keep them at a distance. Who knows what can develop in their minds."

Ciel was glad that something finally left the demon's mouth other than simple sentences or words of acknowledgement. He was glad that Sebastian was at least forming a plan inside his mind. All he wanted to do was figure out a plan to carry out. They had been sitting still for a month or so now, Ciel wanted to immerse himself in the case as he did during the gala that was thrown earlier. He needed more concrete information. All he wanted was to finally put the case to rest. It was bothering him to no end, he tried to identify why he was so uncomfortable with them, and he narrowed it down that he did not want anything slightly supernatural interfering with Elizabeth. He did not want her to seal her life away to soul-sucking creatures that would not allow her a happy future. He wanted her to life her life carefree and happy. There was no reason for her to ever carry a burden as strong as Ciel did.

"Master! A letter!"

Mey-Rin's voice echoed through the halls as she ran to his study, successfully delivering a pile of letters to the desk without losing her balance for once. Ciel was slightly impressed, not that it should be a feat he should be impressed with. Sometimes he really wanted to hire more capable servants, but he found a slight attachment to the current help of the household, and he was sure no one else could protect it as well as they could. Sebastian picked them after all, so that must account for something at least.

"Thank you, Mey-Rin."

She saluted and exited the study, Finnian's voice came from nearby. There was laughter, the sound of something crashing, and then they left. Ciel sighed as he sorted through the pile, there must have been a letter of interest if Mey-Rin called to him as such. Sure enough, there was a cream envelope with a royal seal. Ciel sighed in relief as he reached for a letter opener, he had not received any correspondence for some time now. It was good to finally have a case. He read through the letter and handed it to Sebastian.

"Breaking and entering of the nearby nobles. Two homicides of servants once they intervened with the culprit. Most likely not working alone. Armed and dangerous. Killed by disembowelment. Well, it seems this serves as a case and a warning for us. I am glad she cares for our well-being."

Ciel scoffed at Sebastian's slightly sarcastic tone.

"Of course she cares, we are her number one crime stoppers after all."

Sebastian tapped the letter.

"The Midford's are close behind, my lord. They were notified of this as well."

Ciel nodded and clasped his hands together. He did not like that the Midford's were involved in such a case, rarely did they work together. Ciel would make sure the mess would be taken care of before they even put their foot through the door. The Midford's usually dealt with lighter cases and the social side of the Queen's interests. He hoped she would not make it a habit of including them in future cases. With that he immediately began to brainstorm ideas of capturing the culprits with Sebastian, without the involvement of the other House.


	12. Dark Streets

Ciel paced within his study. Sebastian went into London earlier to gather information on their latest case. It had been about seven hours now since his departure. They both agreed last night, when they received the letter that Sebastian would use today to gather information to be ahead of the Midford's. It was their goal to wrap the case by the end of the week. Ciel had faith that his butler would turn up information much quicker on this case than he had been on their personal one. It typically took Sebastian a few hours to a day to gather information and intel on a case from the queen. Of course, he had no idea the speed Elizabeth's help were capable of, as he had never seen them on a case before. Whatever they were, he was sure that Sebastian would be faster.

* * *

After a few hours Sebastian managed to learn the location of the main group's center of operations. Right now, he was staring though a skylight from the roof of an abandoned warehouse by the local pier. Most of the windows were boarded up, the only light inside came from the skylights and the lantern on the card table a group of six surrounded. He narrowed in his sight to see what was on the table. He saw a younger man dealing out cards to his associates the center of the table and the second square table next to them was littered with files and papers with red markings and notes. The game continued for another half hour until another lackey ran into the room and motioned for everyone to follow him.

Sebastian waited for a moment and then opened the skylight, dropping gracefully into the warehouse. He rushed over to the files and began to read them. His attention snapped up to the door as a male laughed.

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't be here at night… it's dangerous."

There was silence for a minute, and then the man began to laugh.

"Not much of a talker, ey missy?"

More silence. Sebastian rummaged through the files, before finally deciding to just take them all. No one would notice them gone if they were all dead anyway.

"What the hell?!" A man grunted.

Sebastian raised his eyebrows as he listened in, it seemed the girl was taking care of them. He chuckled to himself as he heard their bodies hit the ground. It seemed they were still breathing.

 _'_ _What a shame… she must have only been knocking them out.'_

"Ya bitch!" Yet another man yelled, Sebastian heard the man rush her.

The door was busted down, a blonde hooded woman ran into the room, she then proceeded to throw a chair at her pursuer. The man drew a gun and aimed, Sebastian's eyes widened as the woman looked at him. Her bright blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Sebastian?" Aeria's voice called out, extremely confused.

Sebastian was gone in the blink of an eye. Aeria flinched in fear as the man pulled the trigger. She braced herself for impact, but the bullet never hit her.

"What the hell?!" The man yelped as Sebastian stood in front of him.

"It seems that your hand slipped. Do make sure it never happens again."

Sebastian's voice grew lower and more dangerous as the sentence finished. He them jammed the bullet back into the barrel of the pistol. He couldn't kill the man in front of Aeria, no matter how much he wanted to. The man stumbled back in fear, then turned and fled the warehouse. Taking a deep breath, Sebastian turned and faced the wide-eyed girl. As Sebastian opened his mouth to speak, she cut him off.

"Well… are you just going to let him escape?" She asked, rather boldly, as she crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow up at him.

Sebastian blinked in shock at her tone. "Excuse me?"

She gave a short genuine laugh at the look on his face, never had she seen him bewildered before.

"You are a Phantomhive butler, correct? Is it not safe to assume you would destroy those who wish your home and allegiance harm?"

Raising her right hand from her side she threw a folder at him, which he expertly caught. There was no surprise on her end from his quick movement.

"Phantomhive's were next on his list. I was hoping to take care of them tonight and send them into Scotland yard… but it seems Lord Ciel obviously has other plans."

Sebastian paused for a minute, before bowing.

"I will return momentarily."

He was gone in a flash. He knew he did not need to hide so much from her from now on. He knew she assumed he was not human at this point. Even with her gone during the fight much earlier in the manor, he could tell she was suspicious. He quickly approached the man who dared to fire a bullet at the strange servant girl. The man turned and looked at Sebastian, fear overwhelming his expression.

"What are you?"

"I do not believe that is any of your concern." Sebastian's eyes at him and begun to glow a slight magenta.

The sight easily caused the man to back up further, until his feet hit the front of a pole at the docks. The pole of the dock separated the man from the cold dark water he almost fell into.

"W-What do you want to know? I'll tells ya anythin'!" His accent came through as he panicked.

"You were ready to strike the Phantomhive estate tonight, is that correct?"

The man nodded eagerly.

"Who was your next target?"

"The Midford's. We were going to strike both of them tonight. The carriages should be scouting them right about now."

Sebastian held the man up by his collar. "When were you planning to strike next?"

The man sputtered his reply, trying to get air. "Two months. Lie low. Evan's Estate."

Sebastian stared into the man's eyes, his irises glowing bright. "How many of you are in this? How many total members and locations?"

"Fifty-seven. Docks every Wednesday. P-Please don't kill me."

"Just this location? You wouldn't be lying to me now, would you?"

The man's face lost even more color as a malicious smile appeared on Sebastian's face. His fangs were now exposed.

"N-No, sir."

Deep laughter echoed from his throat as the man addressed him so formally.

"Humans switch their loyalty so easily when their lives are threatened."

And with that, Sebastian ripped the man's head from his body. Blood rained onto the water and dock, no one would suspect it to be human blood among all the fish entrails and pieces littering the dock. When the body was mutilated further to resemble nothing but a pile of guts, he threw it into the bay. He breathed heavily as his blood lust was satisfied. Quickly he gave himself a once-over to make sure his suit was still intact and perfect. One more moment passed as he centered himself, once satisfied he turned on his heels and made his way back into the warehouse. He leaned against the opening of the door as he stared at the cloaked girl shuffling through the files he left on the table. Her brows scrunched with concentration, and her left hand drumming her fingers against the padded table. He continued to observe her. A black dress covered her body, with black lace sleeves and black high heeled boots over black stockings. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail now, strands falling in her vision before she huffed them away with her breath. The dress stopped at her knees, quite the statement even for a recon mission. The bodice was form-fitting, in a very pleasing way he had to add. The skirt flared out under the hips for help with movement if he had to guess. The crimson ribbon holding her hair up was slowly coming undone. He sighed as he advanced towards her quietly.

* * *

Aeria's form went rigid as she felt the ribbon pulled from her hair, and hands combing the tangled mess. She could hear a deep chuckle emanate from behind her as the hands continued to work.

"Are Midford servants not trained properly with ribbons?" She could feel the grin in his mocking voice.

She paused a moment before replying, her body still tense with slight shock. He could have been a gunman for all she knew. She relaxed soon after hearing his voice, but she did not relax entirely. She did not know a lot about this man, and he puzzled her.

"I assure you I have been capable with ribbons thus far."

Her words were carefully selected.

"Why do you treat me as you treat strangers?"

His question was quite random. Aeria raised her eyebrows in confusion as her hands rested above the documents below. He must have felt her pause.

"We are similar in status and mission, are we not?"

The ribbon was securely fastened, but she could still feel him slowly running his hands through the ends of her hair. Her pulse quickened for a moment; she felt like she should be on edge, she did not understand entirely what was happening.

"…Yes… I suppose so."

Slowly his hands fell from her hair, returning from wherever they originated. There was another pause of silence, she took the opportunity to bring up another, less confusing, subject. Quickly she scooped a file into her hands and turned to face him, but not meeting his eyes. Nervousness coursed through her, as though she were a young school girl being scorned by her teacher.

"It seems as though they were going to attack Evan's Estate in two-or-so months." She buried her eyes into the text, examining their infiltration plans. Attempting to memorize any similar plans between this document and the others.

 _'_ _There has to be something similar. Are any codenames stationed at similar places? Who do they send in to scout areas? How do they conduct their scouting's, and at what time? Which weapons and styles of fighting do they prefer? I need to learn all of this if I am to successfully lead a surprise attack against them, or to possibly ambush them in one of their heists.'_

Her mind worked the sheet and plans over, and over. Her mind conjured as many possibilities as it could. Weaknesses. Strengths. Best order of line and attack. Suddenly the papers were taken out of her hands, and the man in front of her began to scan them. His reading speed was impressive, he obviously had high comprehension skills. She took a minute to observe the mysterious man in front of her. His black hair fell into his sight. His wine-red eyes were breathtaking no doubt. His skin was flawless, strong jaw and cheek bones, he was most likely built with very toned muscle.

 _'_ _He is handsome, I'll give him that. I bet he has women swoon all over him. I wonder how he deals with that, it would be annoying beyond belief to me at least. I wonder if any men swoon from him, seeing his reaction would be amusing.'_

She continued her silent study of his features until he looked up. His gaze met hers, and a wolfish grin fashioned his face.

"Studying something as well, are you?" His voice was slightly husky as he confronted her.

Aeria's face flushed bright red as she took the papers from his hands, spun around, and slapped them onto the table once more.

"Observations do the mind well. Knowing your surroundings is important. Especially if you happen to be in a dangerous warehouse with an unfamiliar man."

She felt his presence behind her draw closer. Suddenly memories came back to her. The kitchen encounter previously. The feeling of him so close, his breathing on her neck. Their shared dance at the ball at the Midford estate. Being so near to him yet again. There were also the concerning memories. How he clutched that chair so tight in the kitchen, seeming like he simultaneously saw a ghost and was holding himself back from something. His smooth words, his prideful ego, his mystery. The feeling in her gut that she sometimes feared when he was around, the way he could easily distract her, confuse her, allure her. She shook her head, making sure she stayed focused on herself and the distance between them. Something was happening, she wasn't sure what his plans were, but they were concerning. Quickly she turned, he obviously did not expect it as they were now face-to-face. Their noses an inch apart. His wide eyes staring into hers.

Her heart began to pound erratically, he was so close. His breath collided with hers.

 _'_ _Why is the room so warm?'_

She slowly took a step back, her backside colliding with the card table. The rebound shoved her against his chest. He quickly reached his arms out to steady her. Shocks flew up her arms, as if she was struck by a mild lightning.

 _'_ _So…close…'_

Her breath hitched as he slowly trailed his hands from her shoulders to her elbows, to her wrists. He gazed down at her with a hazed expression. His hands reached to hers, fingers intertwining, sending her heartrate into a frenzy.

 _'_ _W-What is happening?!'_

He grinned wolfishly yet again at her.

"Sebastian?" Her voice was very timid.

His forehead was now against hers, his eyes boring into her eyes and possibly soul. She blinked and broke eye contact, averting her attention to the ground and tilting her head down. She froze as his left hand broke hold and caressed her cheek. It slowly trailed down to her chin, and pulled her face up, restoring eye contact.

"…Wh…"

She never claimed to be eloquent with words. He closed his eyes as a soft laughter erupted from him.

"You never fail to amuse me, Aeria."

Her eyes widened yet again. He raised his eyebrows in question once he opened his eyes.

"…That's the first time you've said my name…"

He clicked his tongue in thought. "I suppose so."

The momentary pause snapped her out of her fog. She quickly broke his hold of her hand and cheek, stepping to the side and then back from him, facing his side.

"You… I… What do you want from me?"

"…What do I want from you?" He repeated her question slowly as he faced her.

She nodded, clutching the hand he had been holding to her chest. Their stare was intense. His eyes never leaving hers. She glanced around the room, and turned her back to him.

"I'm just as confused as you are." He admitted after a minute.

She turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder. "What?"

He took a step closer to her.

"I'm not sure what I want from you. I want to know more about you, that much is clear to me. You intrigue me, Aeria. You did promise me once before that we would get to know each other, did you not? I believe you are as curious about me as I am about you."

She shook her head from the daze of her words and continued to the door.

"Yes. I do want to know more about you. I admire your skills as head butler of the Phantomhive's"

Her hand was resting on the door frame of the entrance.

"I wish to learn from you honestly, I wish to improve myself for the benefit of the Midford's. I owe my life to them, and they deserve the best that I could ever offer-"

He cut her off. "Then allow me to teach you."

She turned to him, surprised at his words. He closed the gap between them in a flash, and carefully placed his hand over hers.

"Allow me to teach you everything."

His eyes bore into hers with intensity she had never seen. Her face flushed from his words, he was so adamant. His speed impressed her, his speech impressed her, his perfection impressed her. One question came to mind, and it left her lips before her brain could hold it back.

"You're not human… are you." The comment was a mixture of a question and a statement.

He was taken aback. His eyes held surprise, then curiosity, and then determination.

"No, I'm not."

He leaned closer to her, towering over her. A sign of dominance she could easily recognize now that she could categorize more primal actions into his everyday mannerisms.

"And neither are you."

* * *

(A/N)

Hello everyone! I am so sorry I did not update in such a long time! I had a lot of work to do in May, finals too. There's a lot going on right now. I still want to get updates out once a week though, and I just started a new story based on a dream I had about the Labyrinth. So check that out if you're interested. I think I might be shortening each chapter in order to upload faster. I just had a summer job interview today and I will probably be starting my job next week. I'll most likely be working 30-40 hour a week (hopefully, I have an apartment to pay for at college in August) and I also have a job where I work 8:30-5pm on Tuesdays. I'll try to update as much as I can from now on, and will update the summary of my stories if I have to put it on hiatus for a month or two due to work or school work. I WILL finish all of my stories, so don't worry about coming back to it in 2019 or something and see I haven't updated it in 3 years. So find solace in knowing one day (hopefully within the year) that this story will be in the completed filter here. Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it! Fanfiction is such a good way for me to be creative and be inspired for my other fully independent stories. I'm actually working on a real novel on the side of this, hopefully that will be done within a few years or soon after I graduate college. Anyways, I'm rambling now, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It means a lot and helps me improve my confidence in my writing! Good night!

-21:27 05/15/17-


	13. Red, Red Roses

Aeria's heart pounded harder than when she thought she was going to be shot an hour prior.

 _'_ _No. There's no way… how did he know?! Was it obvious? Was I obvious? Did I make a mistake?'_

There was nothing but silence between them. All Sebastian heard was silence, but Aeria heard herself screaming in her own mind.

"There's no need to be afraid. I will not harm you." He reassured her as he wrapped his hand around hers.

Her pulse quickened even more with doubt and fear. He frowned and spun her to face him.

"I swear I will not harm you. What we are is of no consequence at the moment. We share similar goals and the instructions to blend in. I will not reveal your identity as I am sure you will not reveal mine."

He had no response other than a blank stare. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair and glanced down at her again.

"This does not need to be discussed at the moment, we can get to this later. There is something of significant importance occurring currently."

This caught her attention, and she looked up to him, aware and focused on his words. "What's wrong?"

He was absent and then reappeared in a flash with a file in his hands. "They plan on attacking both of our manors simultaneously tonight. In three hours to be exact."

Her face paled as she ripped the files from his hands. "WHAT?!"

He winced at her shriek. "It is as I say."

She whipped the files past her face in a flurry, not needing to hide her talent from him now. She absorbed every word in the twenty-page document within a second. She slapped the file shut and bore her eyes into his.

"We need to go to our homes now."

Sebastian bowed. "Allow me to assist you at the Midford Estate. There is no doubt that my team have already wiped out the intruders within the last six minutes. I feel that there will be more at your home than at my own."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Are you certain?"

Sebastian stood tall and proud. "Yes. I am." He then tapped his temple. "I have instincts."

"Ohh. Yeah. Well… I'm sure they are far more cultivated than my own so I will trust you with this I suppose." She sheepishly stared at the files.

Tilting his head to the side in curiosity, he looked down at her. "How old are you? Overall, if this is not your true form."

She rubbed the back of her head. "I'm 34. This is… me. I suppose. I think."

Sebastian chuckled at her embarrassment. "Well, you look quite young."

Nodding she looked up at him for a moment before looking away. "My kind halts around 19 to 22 or so… that's what I've been told at least. There are exceptions in some cases, something I have also been told…" She paused for another moment and met his eyes again. "…Do you mind if I ask your age?"

Sebastian grinned. "Many centuries older than you would be the easiest answer."

"Ah. I…see." She shuffled her feet around.

He grabbed her chin and made eye contact again. "As your senior I will accept responsibility to teach you everything I know, and to take care of you. The supernatural need each other in this world of infuriating mortals. Stay by me, and keep my sanity in check. That is all I ask of you."

Her face flushed bright red as he stared at her, awaiting her response.

"I… uh… Sure."

He chuckled. "Eloquent as always, dear."

And she thought her face couldn't be any brighter. She was wrong. Reality hit her once again as she remembered what they were talking about before.

"So…" She removed his hand from her chin, but didn't see the disappointment flood his eyes.

"What is the plan?" She asked him as she ruffled through the papers again.

Sebastian stood tall once again and stared out past the front door into the night. "I will go alert my master of the details that have arose. Then I will assist you with the issues at the Midford Manor."

Aeria nodded and walked to the table. "I suppose we should collect all of this information then. I'm sure our houses and Scotland Yard would like to see what has been in the works."

Sebastian watched her as a bright light formed in her hand. He shielded his eyes as the red light calmed and a satchel took its place. She loaded all of the forms into the black dyed leather bag and turned to him.

"I'll see you at Midford's then?"

He shook his head and grinned. "I was hoping you would come along."

Aeria averted her eyes nervously, a habit that he now noted. "I doubt I will be able to keep up with you."

"You won't be able to fall behind while in my arms."

Her head shot up in panic. "Yo-"

He chuckled as she suddenly found herself in his arms. He carried her bridal style and as close as he possibly could to himself.

"Sebastian!" She scolded him and elbowed him in the ribs. "This is hardly proper!"

He rolled his eyes at her and grinned. "To be honest, dear, I couldn't care less at the moment."

She continued to struggle, until he gave her a demanding look and a simple sentence.

"Mind your elders."

And with that she blushed and complied. Huffing and crossing her arms across her chest like a child. Sebastian gave a short laugh and took the first step out of the door as he issued a warning.

"I would close your eyes if you do not typically travel fast."

* * *

"I'm sure Sebastian will return soon, yes!" Mey-Rin assured the pacing boy.

"He should have been here an hour ago when the raid occurred!" Ciel threw a book to the ground as he fumed.

"Master, he probably is working hard right now to track everyone else down." Finnian chirped into the conversation.

"I don't give a damn!" Ciel growled.

"A child should learn to watch his language." The deep voice came from behind him.

Ciel spun around to see Sebastian entering the library.

"WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN?!" Ciel roared.

"He was assisting me in disposal of the bandits. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused." Aeria bowed as she entered behind Sebastian.

"You weren't even working oN THE CASE?!" Ciel screamed at the end of his sentence, still blind in his rage as he didn't realize it was Aeria who spoke. He then paused completely, and blinked twice at her as though he were a dumbfounded owl.

Sebastian ignored the screams of the boy in front of him, tossing him the bag full of documents instead. "I believe I made decent progress on the event. Considering that I wiped out the head of the operation, and wiped out half of the fleet that planned on attacking the manor. The more important issue at the moment is the Midford Manor is also being targeted, and will be attacked on schedule, which will be in twenty-four minutes. You sprung the attack by uncovering one of their scouts, the Midford's seem unaware at this time. Aeria accompanied me to confirm."

Aeria nodded as Ciel looked to her.

"I would very much appreciate if you would allow me to borrow the services of Sebastian, I want to assure the safety of Milady. I am sure you want to see her safe as well. With Sebastian, I know you would have no worries of her welfare." She bowed once again to the shorter boy.

She stood up straight while he pondered her request.

"If I allow your Manor the services of Sebastian, I wish to borrow your services in return once the need arises. I'm sure Elizabeth would agree to those terms."

Aeria nodded with a smile. "I believe Lady Elizabeth would agree to that easily."

Ciel waved them off in dismissal. "You may go, Sebastian. But once you are finished, return immediately, I wish to have a word."

Sebastian bowed. "Yes, my Lord."

The two exited the Manor and made their way to a path in the entrance of the woods. Aeria took the lead as she looked back to Sebastian.

"I'll show you the path to the Midford Manor."

She squeaked as she found herself in Sebastian's arms once again.

"I know the path very well, thank you."

Aeria blushed as she threw her arms around Sebastian's neck for balance.

"Do you fear that I will drop you?" He asked as he paused and looked down at her.

She blushed in return. "Just a knee-jerk reaction. Balance. You know."

"Are you carried by men often?" He cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

Her face darkened yet again. "Not… often…"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes in response for a moment, and then clutched her tighter. "I will hold you whenever you wish it." He then began to sprint through the woods to the manor.

* * *

Oscar set his cup down on the saucer at the kitchen table. Currently Elizabeth and her Uncle Wilton were arguing over the uses of pink.

"Pale pink is the symbol of womanhood." The man in his 40's retorted.

"I believe a striking pink does wonders for women. If you were in a ball would you notice the woman in a bright floral pink dress? Or one with simple lace in a powder pink gown?"

Oscar chuckled at the friendly banter and averted his gaze to the kitchen window. He furrowed his brows as he thought he saw a pair of red eyes in the distance at the edge of the woods. He sensed the pull of Aeria's consciousness right outside the door, she needed to talk. Oscar excused himself and exited the back door, followed by Paula.

"What is wrong?" Oscar asked as he walked to the side of the woods, where Aeria appeared suddenly.

"The thieves are targeting us, we have fourteen minutes. I borrowed help from the Phantomhives."

Sebastian walked up to the three and bowed. "My master wishes to lend you my services."

Oscar narrowed his eyes at the slightly familiar butler. Aeria grabbed his attention by placing the bag of documents into his hands.

"I scouted the warehouse and was confronted. Sebastian saved me and took care of the lead culprits. There are scouts and militia surrounding us at this moment. They have been surveying for hours now."

Paula bowed to Sebastian. "Thank you for assisting us." She then turned to Aeria and Oscar. "I will retire the Lady to bed and arrange a room for Sir Wilton."

The other two servants nodded in agreement before Paula headed inside.

"We will survey the woods and bring down the rangers. Station our sharp shooters on the roof, and I know you can cover this meadow." Aeria's words flew from her mouth fast as she ran over the plans in her head.

Oscar nodded and disappeared into the manor.

Sebastian observed Aeria as she held her chin, thinking of attacks within her mind. He allowed her to think for another moment or two before he stood before her, grabbing her chin with his hand instead.

"You think too much about attacks. You need to allow your instincts to take over." His eyes gazed at hers as he ran his thumb over her lower lip.

She blushed as she stared back at him.

"Allow me to teach you." He whispered as he rested his forehead onto hers like before.

He growled slightly as she innocently held his gaze and blushed more. He could feel her heart beat, it was not erratic, but she was definitely nervous. He leaned in closer to her, allowing his breath to cover her lips. He smirked and gave a half-lidded gaze before he went to meet her lips fully. Suddenly he was holding nothing. His senses flared as he immediately felt a rather disgusting presence.

"Pardon my intrusion, but I believe we have a raid to deal with." A strict voice chastised Sebastian.

Sebastian looked to his right to meet a furious glare from William. Rivaled with his own murderous glare of course.

"William!" Aeria squeaked from behind him.

"In case you were not aware, pest, there are more than humans in this attack." He ignored the plea of Aeria as he wrapped one arm protectively around her.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed and he flared his aura out to William, an act of intimidation. Aeria seemed oblivious to it as she freed herself from William and faced them both.

"I was planning an attack. I was thinking Sebastian and myself would clear out the rogues within the woods. Oscar will flush out the meadow. Paula would hold down the manor along with Richard. Maggie and Christa would snipe from the roof." She placed her hands on her hips as she glared up to him.

"You will not be fighting with Sebastian, I will accompany you. Find something else for him to do, we leave now." William commanded as he marched into the woods.

Aeria threw her hands up in exasperation as she ran her hand through her hair, undoing the ribbon. She sighed in further frustration as she braided it quickly and thought of a new position for Sebastian. "I suppose you can assist Oscar in the meadow then. I am sorry for all of that. William is rather stubborn and doesn't take too kindly to new people around the Manor."

Sebastian crossed his arms. "I am very well aware of William's typical attitude."

She raised her eyebrows at him as she finished her braid. "You two have met before?"

Sebastian nodded and then growled audibly as William's voice rang out from the woods.

"Aeria!" The command was clear and Aeria sighed before she ran after her superior.

Sebastian could hear William's scolding as they walked further and further away. "Stay away from him. Once he assists in this matter he will report back home immediately. I will not allow strangers around the house for the rest of the night, and I do not care if they belong to the house soon to be tied to this one. You know my feelings towards the Phantomhive household, no matter if Elizabeth is to be wedded to them or not. At least you can stay out of their dark nest."

Aeria protested for a moment before she was shushed and they continued deeper into the brush.

Oscar chuckled as he stood next to Sebastian, observing him. "I see you have met William before. He is a handful, got quite a bite."

"I've got quite a sharp bite myself." Sebastian assured Oscar.

Oscar threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Your beef belongs with him, not me. I could care less what your intentions with my sister are at this moment. Don't think I am unaware after that dance you two shared though. But at this moment we have an army to fend off."

Sebastian nodded slowly as he made a note to be on his good side. The two were close and she obviously would care about her brother's acceptance. Their fathers on the other hand… well… that would most likely never happen. Sebastian was fine with that though, it's not as if the opinion of a Grim Reaper mattered to him. Oscar yelled a command up to the rooftops and was met with a unison response of, "Yessir!" and the sound of guns being loaded. They stood at the ready for two minutes, and then it started. Sebastian and Oscar could tell that William and Aeria were successful in taking out a quarter of the attackers, but now they were retreating to the open field to fight. The small army was advancing. It seemed that they were using more soldiers to attack the Midford's than they did for the Phantomhive residence. Sebastian was alerted with suspicion and agreed with Ciel's earlier orders to return home immediately, there might be a second attack aimed for the Phantomhive Manor. He pulled knives out of his pocket and took three attackers out at the same time. Aeria ran into view and round house kicked a man in the neck who was advancing towards her. It was a refreshing sight to Sebastian, seeing her attack men other than himself. William came into view and covered the area to her side, cutting into men with his death scythes. They fought back to back perfectly. Sebastian wished to take the place of William and see her fighting potential. He was satisfied seeing the skills of her brother in the meantime.

Sebastian glanced over as he saw familiar runes pour down Oscar's left arm before they blended with the grass underneath them. Sebastian cocked an eyebrow and stabbed another man as roots began to lift from the ground, lashing out as if they were whips. In a simultaneous motion a circle of roots spun in a circle surrounding Sebastian and Oscar, wiping out twenty men. Some were only unconscious, some had their head cut off. He noted that Oscar was not afraid to kill, but it was never his first option. He glanced over to Aeria, who had knocked all the men surrounding her unconscious, while William finished them off. Occasionally he saw her stab a man in the heart or neck, but that was not often. The numbers seemed to increase and never end. Something was definitely wrong. Sebastian moved as fast as he could, allowing his eyes to glow as he slaughtered anyone around him. He felt a tug on his senses, but it felt dull, he had never experienced that before. Now he was frustrated. There was not much he had not experienced before, he had been living a long time. The feeling of not knowing what to do in a situation bothered him to no end and worsened with age. It was a shared emotion all of his race shared for the most part after a certain number of years. The feeling of not being in control was maddening to demons.

Whipping his head to the right he heard Aeria hiss in pain. There was a long cut down her collarbone and right shoulder. She attempted to cover it for some reason. Sebastian's eyes widened as she began to bleed gold. Not red. Gold. It seemed as though she was frozen in place as the men around her noticed.

"What the HELL?!" One man yelled at no one in particular.

"She's a witch! A witch!" Another man screamed as he charged her.

William's ears perked as he heard the rush of the man, but he was too slow. Sebastian stood right in front of Aeria, and caught the sword in his left hand. He did not hesitate to behead the man in an instant, and do the same to the others that witnessed her moment of weakness. He turned back to her, allowing her to see his glowing eyes, attempting to console her by showing her one of his secrets. Surprise took over her face as she stared back at him across the field. Surprise, fear, panic. All he wanted to do at that moment was run and console her, take her into his arms. He growled ferociously as William turned her to him and began to clean the wound, whispering to her that it would all be okay. Sebastian and Oscar continued to wipe out the men advancing upon them. Bullets rang out from the rooftops as the two servants fired into the trees. Oscar looked up from the spell he was casting in confusion as everyone began to feel the ground shake.

"Oscar!" William yelled over.

"It sure as hell 'aint me!" Oscar growled as he focused his energy into the air as he drew out silver and orange runes.

The rumbling grew louder and closer over the next minute or two. Sebastian continued to cut down everyone standing in his way.

"AERIA!" A female voice shouted from the kitchen door.

Aeria snapped her head up to the door. Paula was currently literally holding Elizabeth from ramming down the door to get outside. She held two rapiers in her hands and began to swing wildly as she attempted to free herself. The glass on the door was mostly broken, so it was very easy to hear the choice words she was yelling to the intruders. Paula slipped and caught herself on the doorway instead of falling into the glass shards below. Elizabeth dashed into the fray and began to cut down men left and right.

"STAY. AWAY. FROM. HER." Elizabeth screamed into the night as she protected Aeria and William.

Oscar huffed in extreme frustration, cancelling his current summoning spell to cast protective wards around his Lady to deflect bullets.

"What is she thinking?!" Oscar growled as one hand focused on Elizabeth and his other hand cast lightning to the men in the trees.

Sebastian admired the fighting spirit Elizabeth held within her. She was a perfect match for his young Lord. The light to his darkness, but able and ready to deal with whatever chased him.

Sebastian centered his balance as the ground shook even more. He both couldn't and could believe his eyes as he saw a large white dog bound over the tree line. It threw its head into the air as it cried and billowed fire. It soon aimed the fire at the tree line, effectively burning half of the remaining men to cinders.

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS? A HELL HOUND? THE TREES!" Oscar screamed as he filled the sky with deep blue and white runes. Rain began to immediately down pour to put out the trees as he aimed his hand to the dog.

"MISTER SEBASTIAN!" Mey-Rin called from the top of Pluto.

Finnian jumped down from Pluto, tears streaming down his face.

Sebastian attempted to prepare himself for whatever news they brought, and used a decent amount of power to instantaneously combust a group of thirty men. There were about twelve men left now. William easily finished them off with the help of Oscar and the snipers on the roof.

Finnian ran to Sebastian, with an unconscious Ciel in his arms. Sebastian's nose picked up a strong scent of blood. It was Ciel's. His eyes flew open wide as he demanded Finnian to put him inside on the kitchen table. Elizabeth who was currently tending Aeria's wounds almost fainted as she saw Ciel being carried inside. Aeria's eyes widened as she rushed Elizabeth inside.

"Ciel!" Elizabeth yelled once she entered the kitchen.

Sebastian ripped the suit off Ciel to see the large slash from his right hip to left shoulder. It was very deep, and bleeding profusely. If nothing was done, he was sure to die. Elizabeth gagged and ran outside, immediately emptying her stomach. Sebastian panicked for the first time in centuries. Finnian began to panic, seeing Sebastian actually panic for the first time ever.

"What do we do?!" Finnian asked, his voice raw as the tears continued.

"Let me." A calm voice rang out as Aeria pushed Sebastian to the side. She began to run her hands over the young boy, muttering incantations and allowing white runes to glow over him. She grimaced as the cut on herself widened, making her bleed more profusely. She seemed to be stuck, not sure what to do. She took a deep breath before glancing at Elizabeth. Elizabeth nodded after a moment, realizing what she was offering.

"It's the only thing, Aeria." Elizabeth sobbed as she looked to Ciel.

Aeria nodded and sucked in a breath before running her hand along the cut on her collarbone, collecting a small handful of blood, and lining Ciel's wound with it. Sebastian sucked in breath and fell to his knees as he felt a burning on their contract mark and in the same spot on his own body as Ciel's wound. Aeria's eyes widened as she looked to him.

"You are bound by a contract." She said quietly, he was almost unable to catch what she said.

She focused her attention back to Ciel as she closed her eyes and hummed a short song while she waved her hands, causing runes to dance around him. The flesh inside the wound looked like it was boiling. Sebastian grunted in pain. The wound on Ciel then began to close. After a minute or two of waiting, Aeria grabbed the suture equipment she kept in the cupboard and went to work. The stitches were quick, small, and even. They were neat and tightly pulled as she ended the row. She then ran a piece of ice over the wound and dabbed it with a mixture she made in seconds. It smelled like jasmine and mint. She then pulled up a chair for Elizabeth and sat her down. Elizabeth grabbed Ciel's hand and ordered Paula to fetch him a pillow for behind his head.

"We should locate him to a room upstairs. He won't wake up with a sore back that way. We don't want anything else on him hurt." Oscar offered as he rubbed Elizabeth's shoulders reassuringly.

Elizabeth agreed and Oscar cast a levitation spell onto Ciel, carrying him up the stairs into one of the very large guest bedrooms. Elizabeth pulled up a chaise lounge and laid beside his bed, holding his hand on the mattress the entire time. It was improper for them to lay in the same bed, she of course couldn't care any less at the moment, but it would cause her years of trouble if her parents found out. This was the closest thing. Oscar stood watch in the club chair near the window. He frowned as he looked at the deep red roses on the bedside table, they looked like they were dripping blood themselves.

* * *

(A/N)

Hello All! I feel bad about not updating recently so here's an extra long chapter! 8 pages in Microsoft Word with 11 point font, single space line, and margins set all around at .11 (Which is how I write this entire story so its not different format from anything else I've written for this before) But here you go! Thank you for reading!


	14. Feelings

Aeria helped Sebastian up and led him to another bedroom down the hall from Ciel. Ciel's bedroom was on the hallway corner and neighbored Elizabeth's own. This was the closest place for Sebastian. Aeria led him to the middle of the room to the large king size bed. The four posters had thick fabric draped open on each corner. Sebastian sighed as he laid down on the bed, closing his eyes tight as he focused on his breathing. He felt something on his neck, and opened his eyes to see Aeria taking off his tie and vest. His heart picked up immediately and he fought his instincts, which was surprisingly easy to do with his currently burning chest.

"This should make breathing easier. I'm sure you're in a lot of pain." She explained as she removed his outer jacket and vest.

She leaned down to remove his tie and Sebastian fought the urge to trap her against him. The burning was a great distraction that he openly welcomed at the moment. He looked up at her, many questions in his eyes. She sighed and smoothed his bangs out against the rest of his hair, blushing and freezing when she realized what she did. She felt motherly in situations like this, and it was usually Elizabeth who was hurt so it was easy for her to show affection. This was different. This was a grown…" man" that was many centuries her elder. This was a grown man who had made several advances to her in the past.

"I-I'm sorry. Ignore that. I'm used to caring for Elizabeth." She stammered as she focused on the vest in her hands.

She folded it and placed it with his jacket on the chair in the corner. She was sure there were spare suits that would fit him in the morning. She began to search the room for suitable bed clothes. Sebastian's eyes followed her every movement throughout the room. Oh, how he wished the burning would stop and he could bring himself to indulge in other thoughts flooding his mind at the moment.

"My blood… it strengthens the bond of contracts. That's why you can feel his pain so intensely. Based on the expression you had at the time, I could tell it's not typical for you to feel this much of his physical pain. I'm sure your tolerance is much higher, but my blood weakened it." She glanced over to see his expression. He was obviously curious, there was also anger, but that was fine with her. Contracts are a very personal connection to almost anyone who is involved with one, no matter the species. It is expected to be threatened and slightly enraged at best when someone or something else weaves its way through your contract's strings.

"Don't worry though. It won't last for long. Your mental connection might seem stronger at times from now on, but I'm sure you'll be able to control that within a day or two. I hope your pain stops soon, the paste I made should be cooling his wound by now, then yours should stop hurting all together afterwards." She explained as she laid out clothes near the bottom of the bed. She steadied herself as her vision blurred and ringing appeared in her ears.

Sebastian immediately sat up in the bed, a little too quickly as his head spun. He slowly stood up and made his way to her, sitting her down on the bench in front of the bed. He looked at the wound covering her body. Her beautiful black dress was almost slashed in half at the top, revealing even more to him.

"I would give you some of my blood, but I don't know if it would react negatively with yours. Some species are allergic to me." She explained as her vision returned.

Sebastian chuckled as he leaned down towards her. "I suppose we could find out right now."

"What?!" She squeaked as he leaned down and began to trail his tongue from her collarbone to her shoulder blade.

Sebastian's eyes widened as the liquid entered his body. It was one of the best things he had ever tasted. It warmed his chest, and immediately numbed the burning across his chest. He became hyper aware of everything, slightly more than his own abilities previously. It was sweet, not quite sugary though, and it felt surprisingly filling. It even slightly fixed the ache in his body he had grown over the years for a soul. It was extremely refreshing. He continued to clean the wound and taking as much blood as he could. He felt torn as the wound began to heal from his saliva. He wanted more, but he did not want her injured. He looked up at her, and she shivered slightly from the wild look in his eyes.

"A-Are you okay?" She asked looking up at him as he moved closer to her face.

He chuckled deeply. "I am perfectly fine right now."

"Well that's good…" She paused nervously before she patted the clothes on the end of the bed. "I'm sure these will fit you decently. I apologize but our seamstress is out for the weekend."

Sebastian nodded and slowly moved away from her, and then began to remove his shirt. She turned to exit the room, giving him privacy. Once she reached the door she gasped as the lock slammed shut before her hand touched the handle. Suddenly she was hyper-aware of everything surrounding her, especially the man who she guessed was shirtless based on the heat surrounding him. She had learned with her senses that if someone is clothed the heat is contained more, but shirtless or nude allows the heat to expand further from the body.

"I can leave and give you privacy if you wish." She said as she faced the door.

"Do you really believe I would lock the door if that is what I wished?" She could hear his wolfish grin; his voice was thick with it.

Her face heated as she pondered his words. She honestly was not sure what to do. He could feel her nervousness in the air, he could practically taste it.

"Am I supposed to have a scar like this?" Sebastian asked in all seriousness, looking down at his chest.

Aeria fought her nervousness and turned around, her face flaming brighter as she saw his exposed chest. She attempted to distract herself from the majority of it and focus on the faint scar. She carefully moved closer, stopping at the side of the bed. The scar was faint, but matched Ciel's completely. Hopefully Ciel's scar would fade to this lightness, as she could barely tell it was on Sebastian. She slowly advanced closer until she was standing by the bench once more. She became intrigued by the scar, and reached out to touch it. It was not as rough as it looked, it actually felt smooth. She supposed the scar was simply emulating the texture Ciel's would have. What she was touching right now was…. actually Sebastian's chest. She pulled her hand back in the blink of an eye and cast her eyes to the ground shamefully. She never asked permission to examine it, in gender rules and supernatural rules she would be considered scandalous by others at this moment. Touching the chest of a male "superior" without asking permission.

Sebastian grinned and moved closer, forcing her to back into the bench. "Don't be afraid. I don't bite… often."

Aeria attempted to side step away from Sebastian and towards the door. She was actually not sure if it would open manually or not, but she could always try. As she stepped to the side Sebastian raised his eyebrow.

"Are you truly afraid of me?"

She met his eyes. "Well, no. I… I just get nervous… near men for the most part… especially…"

"…Especially…?" He questioned as he advanced towards her.

"Especially… when they're shirtless… in front of me… in a locked room…" She mumbled as she stepped back, foot getting caught on the corner of the bed. She gasped in surprise as she tumbled backwards, grabbing onto the post of the bed, and using the momentum to swing her around… landing her on the edge of the mattress.

Sebastian chuckled. "It would seem that you have cat-like reflexes."

He was suddenly in front of her, hand on both sides of her on the mattress. He leaned into her slightly, looking into her eyes.

"I honestly don't mean to scare you." The flirtation in his voice was gone during that statement.

She shrugged. "You don't. For the most part of course."

He tilted his head. "Have I before?"

Nodding, she looked at the floor. "When you briefly appeared in the kitchen, and clutched onto the chair for dear life. I thought you wanted to kill me or thought you were dying yourself."

Sebastian chuckled and leaned forward, running his nose along her jaw. "I was trying to hold myself back."

Aeria's ears perked up. "Did something make you angry?"

Sebastian laughed into her shoulder, causing a shiver to run through her.

"No, love. I was trying to hold myself back from you." He whispered into her ear.

She flushed as he pulled back and stared into her eyes.

"Do you even realize the hold you have over me?" He asked honestly as he ran one hand down her cheek.

No words were coming to her mind at the moment. She was frozen and held his stare. Reflexively she moved her hand up to her cheek, placing it on top of his roaming one.

Sebastian smiled. A genuine smile. Not one of the usual forced ones she had seen him give other servants or William. Her eyes went wide as she realized she saw the difference if she thought about it. Every smile he had given her had been genuine. In the beginning they were more disinterested, but they grew more affectionate the more they ran into each other.

"I-I… I do not understand how that could be. Is this not sudden? I mean… we have only known each other for a few months. Within that we have only seen each other a handful of times." She was confused as she attempted to make sense of his confession.

He shrugged as he observed her. "I do not understand it myself. It is as I said before, you are interesting. A puzzle I have not been able to figure out. At first it had only been a suspicion. A suspicion that you were not human. I was mostly positive once your brother and I fought side by side at this manor that one day. I see now why you escaped that room when you were cut, you did not want to make it obvious."

"S-So… it is a curiosity? I also hold that towards you… but… I… I have not made advances towards you." She slowly removed his hand from her cheek.

Sebastian frowned but understood. "…I apologize for my behavior in that manner." He reveled in their proximity for a moment longer before sitting by her side on the bed looking at the door in front of them.

The corners of Aeria's lips turned down, which caused her more confusion. She suddenly missed staring into his eyes. She closed her eyes and attempted to banish such thoughts. It was highly improper to think that way of another that was so above her own skill and age. Plus she had never attempted to be courted or enter a relationship before. Her father and brother usually put a stop to that, not that she was ever interested in the first place. She sighed as they sat there, side by side. Hands irritatingly just out of touch. She could feel the warmth of his hand against hers, but not his skin.

Sebastian mentally berated himself. He had been aware of his actions recently. He had been chasing her as though he were a teenage boy. She was a woman of class. She deserved to be wooed properly. Never had this happened to him in the past, at least not during this century. Sure, when he was a fledgling he had messed around with many demonesses, but he had learned and matured since then. He was not even aware of what his emotions towards her were. It was obviously an infatuation of the moment, but how long would it last? Until he knew her true identity? He was aware mystery was one of the biggest allures that affected him. He was not being professional. Not once since the week he had met her had he any professional intentions towards her. He looked at her more of a mysterious woman that alluded him than a possible co-worker. How could he be so careless. His brain told him to slam on the breaks, but his instincts were crying for the opposite. They were crying out for her. He had no idea why. His first possible mate in the past affected him in a similar manner, but this was so much stronger. He glanced over to her, to his surprise she was glancing his way as well.

They both looked to the opposite sides of the room like nervous school children. Aeria released a shaky sigh as she twiddled her thumbs and stared at the floor in front of her.

"I… You are fine. I am not offended by your behavior… I… I suppose I am simply confused. I have never had a man make such advances in the past…" Her brows furrowed in thought. She had conflicting emotions about this man. She thought of him very highly. He was a very well put together individual, even for a supernatural one. He had his own goals, and was willing to teach her how to master her abilities on the side. He was a very devoted servant, which was easy to see why now that she knew he was bound by a contract. She was extremely curious about what the conditions were and how he formed such a contract with Ciel. She did want to learn. She wanted him to teach her as many things as he could. She saw him as some sort of a mentor, as she instantly held an amount of respect towards him due to his age. But there was something else. Something more coursed through her veins when he looked at her. When their eyes met her skin would heat up, and she would immediately want to flee the room. It was not a bad feeling that made her want to flee per say, she supposed it was because of his appearance. He was by no means an unattractive individual, which has been revisited by her brain many times recently. There was a sort of anxiety that jolted through her whenever his eyes held hers too long, or if they even met hers in the first place. She compared these things to the possibility of a crush, she had never really had many within her lifetime. A few here and there, that's it. Nothing ever came from them though. Even though she was thirty-four in human years, she was quite young by the standards of her kind. She debated in confiding him with her fears and insecurities.

"I may be thirty-four in human years… but not in maturity. Father tells me I will reach full adulthood around one-hundred. Oscar will likely reach it before I do, perhaps even before the typical mark. The maturity I mean. He has taken care of me for most of my life, before and after Father or the Midford's found us. Anyways, I'm getting off the point… the point is… I have not had many experiences in my lifetime. Most of them have occurred within the last sixteen years serving the Midford's."

Sebastian stared at her. She was confiding many serious issues with him, and he cherished every word. He knew once what it was like to be young and inexperienced in many things. He knew how important this was to her right now. He would be there for her, he would listen.

"Never… have I been courted or married. Never have I had friends, or a home to reside in for long before the Midford's… You are… a new experience. A supernatural being that I have never experienced before. I do not know what you are to be honest. I can't feel your aura or soul. It is like you are an empty shell to me."

Sebastian's eyes were wide with her last statement. It was exactly how he felt about her presence. Only here and there would he be able to catch her intoxicating scent, but he could not sense anything else about her. There was something suspicious about this. He put it to the back of his mind at the moment though. She was currently biting her lip in thought. His eyebrows raised in anticipation as he awaited her next words.

"But… I can feel your warmth. The warmth of your loyalty to your home. The warmth of your kindness to others… the literal warmth of your body at times…" With that she blushed and kept her hands in her lap, deciding to stop her thoughts there.

He groaned internally at the point she chose to stop on. He was trying so hard to be a proper gentleman and not allow his thoughts to trail to lecherous ideas. He fell back onto the bed as he stared at the ceiling, and then to her. He groaned once more as she turned to look at him, only to glance at his exposed chest and flush. He closed his eyes as he grabbed her hand and exhaled a breath even he was not aware he was holding. His instincts beat his brain once more as he pulled her down to his side. He intertwined their clasped hand as he looked into her eyes.

"I promise to keep our relationship as professional as possible after today. I apologize for any discomfort I may have caused you in the past. I am glad we had this conversation. I also want to thank you for saving my Master's life. I owe you many thanks, and I will even extend one favor to you. If there is anything I could do for you, let me know." Sebastian whispered to her.

Aeria nodded. "I will keep that in mind. I suppose I also owe you a favor, you helped save my home… and helped with my wound."

Sebastian waggled his eyebrows at her. "I would be glad to assist you with anything else of the sort whenever you desire it…"

Aeria blushed and hid her face in his chest. "You promised professionalism."

Sebastian's and Aeria's eyes widened as she hid her face to his chest. Her breath rolled across his exposed skin and caused the hair on his arms to stand up. He groaned internally once more but fought all the urges. Instead he carefully wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him. He rested his chin on her head and breathed in her scent that he could sense at the moment before it frustratingly vanished once more.

"I promised professionalism starting _tomorrow_ , dear. Always read the fine script." He chuckled as he ran his hand through her hair.

Aeria blushed as she relaxed into him slightly. "I see I have much to learn from you, Sebastian Michaelis."

He chuckled darkly as he closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling of holding her so close. "That you do, my dear."


End file.
